


The Anthem of a Timeline Lost

by Emme2589



Series: Super Mario Odyssey Retold [3]
Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Odyssey (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Aromantic Character, Brotherly Love, Emotional Manipulation, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gaslighting, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Mental Breakdown, Past Abuse, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Romance, Platonic Soulmates, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Slow Burn, aros deserve happiness, bowser is a good father, i am once again apologizing for everything ive ever done, luigi has never done anything wrong ever in his life, luigi has selective mutism, mario is fiercely protective, romance without romantic attraction, the characters have magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 44,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25567432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emme2589/pseuds/Emme2589
Summary: Luigi and Princess Peach are supposed to get married today. Or, was it yesterday? Well, it doesn't matter, because someone would do anything to keep them apart, and no, it isn't Bowser this time.If that wasn't confusing enough, Mario can't fall in love, and yet he finds himself mysteriously drawn to the queen of the cosmos.
Relationships: Luigi/Princess Peach, Mario/Princess Rosalina
Series: Super Mario Odyssey Retold [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1804945
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

_**Part 1** _

Mario ran a comb through his hair for the twentieth time, trying to get the loose curls into some semblance of neatness. It was a special day, and he wasn't wearing a hat for it, so he figured he should put a little more effort into his appearance than normal. After he showered and shaved, he put on the fancy suit that had been ironed earlier that morning, and now here he stood in front of the mirror forcing his hair to obey him. Once he'd gotten it looking at least somewhat decent, he smiled at his reflection, adjusting the tie around his neck before leaving the dressing room to walk down the castle hall.

On his way, he passed by an open doorway. Poking his head inside, he saw a toad climb atop another toad's head to put the finishing touches on Peach's white dress. She caught sight of Mario in the mirror, and she gave him an excited wave. He waved back and continued on his way. His destination was the next dressing room over, where the groom was getting ready.

Unsurprisingly, he was a huge ball of nerves.

"I can't believe it's really happening!" Luigi paced back and forth, "What if I mess it all up!? What'll she think of me then!?"

"Luigi, you're overthinking this!" Cappy hovered near him, "It's just a wedding! Weddings happen all the time!"

"Yeah, but not to _me!"_ Luigi tugged on his hair, "If I mess something up, I'll never live it down! I can't do this!"

Mario huffed, annoyed, "What are you doing!?"

Luigi jumped a foot in the air, "AAIIIEE! Mario, I told you not to sneak up on me like that!"

"Hold still!" Mario grabbed his shoulders to get him to stand still, then he proceeded to tuck in Luigi's shirt, properly cuff the pant legs to match his height, smooth out the jacket, and redo all the buttons, all the while, Luigi's powers made him ice-cold.

"Mario!" Luigi leaned away from him, "Quit fussing over me!"

"No way." Mario popped Luigi's collar, "This is your big day. You should at least try to look neat."

Once the outfit was in order, Mario took the comb from the vanity and ran it through Luigi's hair. It was all messed up, likely from his nervous habit of running his hands through it constantly, so getting it in order took some time, but eventually it lay correctly and Mario set the comb aside with a sigh.

"What if I mess it up?"

Mario looked up. Luigi looked like he was about to cry.

"What if I embarrass her, or myself? What if I go mute at the altar? What if my words come out wrong? What if I freeze up and can't even leave this room?"

Mario stood behind him, turning him to face his reflection, "This is supposed to be a happy day. I realize you're nervous, but you've been looking forward to this for months. You were even the first to buy a ring. This is what you want, right?"

Luigi relaxed a little as Cappy settled on his head.

"Even if you mess something up. Even if you seem to ruin everything, Peach will still love you. We'll forgive you. There aren't a lot of people there anyway, just our parents, Peach's parents, Toadsworth, Officiator Toad, and a few of our friends. Think about the best case scenario. Everything goes well, and you and Peach go home as husband and wife. How awesome will that be?"

Luigi stared at the three figures in the mirror as a slow smile spread across his face.

"That's what I thought." Mario let go of him, "Now let's go. It's time to get out there."

Luigi straightened Cappy on his head, "Okay. Yeah. You're right." he followed Mario to the door, "I'm still nervous, but I'm ready."

"Good." Mario smoothed back a loose hair on Luigi's moustache with his thumb, drawing a smile from him.

"How do I look?"

Mario took a step back before he nodded, "Presentable. Don't worry, I'll be right there with you."

The church in Toad Town wasn't actually affiliated with any church anymore, but it was still used for weddings and the occasional social gathering. Mario texted Peach to let them know they were on their way before they left. He wanted to make sure they didn't run into each other on the way there, as Luigi hadn't even seen the dress Peach would be wearing yet and they thought it would be priceless to catch his reaction during the ceremony.

Mario glanced through the stained-glass window to see everyone in their seats along the aisle. The clock tower chimed nine am. Luigi took a shaking breath of air, and Mario placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Ready?"

Luigi adjusted his green bow tie, "Yeah. Let's go."

Mario opened the double doors for him, and he took his brother's hand to lead him down the aisle, where an arch of flowers was placed over the altar. Luigi couldn't look at anyone in the pews due to nervousness, but Mario did catch sight of their parents, and he shot them a smile and a wave. Luigi didn't look around until he was at the altar. Yoshi was in the front row, and he waved excitedly at them. Luigi seemed a little calmer after that. Yoshi was like a second father to them, and he'd always been close to Luigi in particular.

It wasn't a minute later that the doors opened again, and Toadette sprung inside to spread flowers all over the church, jumping and laughing as she did so. As the doors closed behind the newcomers, Peach stepped forward, Tiara on her head, and Luigi's mouth dropped open. Her hair was up in spiraling braids around her head, Tiara's veil draping over it like a halo. The sunlight through the windows caught the dust in the air, casting crepuscular rays over her. The dress she wore was pleated, the puffed sleeves adorned with lace, and tiny pearlescent beads threaded from her waist down the skirt, catching the light like individual specks of glitter.

It wasn't until she stood across from him at the altar that Luigi's mouth snapped shut, his blush spreading to his ears.

She held her bouquet of flowers close to her chest, "Um, hi Luigi."

Luigi reached out to touch her cheek, as if he couldn't believe that what he was seeing was real. Mario could tell; In this moment, Luigi had eyes only for her. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he stared, and Peach returned his awe with equal intensity.

Toadette returned to Peach's side, and Officiator Toad put on his reading glasses as he stood atop the altar, "Yes well, you all know why you're here. Today, Princess Peach Toadstool and Master Luigi Jumpman will be joined in marriage!"

Peach and Luigi acted like they didn't even hear him, still lost under some kind of spell.

"Now," Officiator Toad lowered the book he was holding, "Did you two prepare any vows or should I just move on?"

Luigi opened his mouth again, trying to force air out of his lungs, but no sound escaped him. He breathed harder, his pupils shrinking with his rising panic. In his anxiety, he had been struck mute.

"It's okay, Luigi." Peach dropped the flowers to hold his face in both of her hands, "I know what you want to say. We've been friends for as long as we can remember. Our families have always been close, and yet it took a long time for us to realize our feelings for each other. I saw how you would look at me the few times you saved me, and I could tell there was something there. Words that you couldn't find, to express an emotion you didn't understand. I let it go because you never said anything, but knowing you for all these years, I should have realized sooner just how nervous you were. Afraid of ruining our friendship with unwanted feelings, I'd imagine. So, I confessed to you first, and your face lit up. I've never seen you smile the way you did when I told you just how much you mean to me, and now that I've seen it, I want to keep making you smile like that, over and over again, for the rest of our lives."

Luigi had begun to quietly sob at this point. His voice was still absent, but tears streamed down his face, his eyes red-rimmed and his lip quivering.

"So..." Peach wrapped her arms around his neck, "Does that some it up, Love?"

Luigi squeezed his eyes shut, nodding vigorously as he sniffled.

Peach wiped the tears away, "You're so precious. These are happy tears, right?"

He nodded again.

She smiled patiently at him, "Thought so."

Luigi rubbed his eyes, silently mouthing the words _"love you so much"_ over and over again as he sputtered and coughed.

"Okay, OT." Peach gestured to Officiator Toad, "Continue."

"Right. Will Master Luigi be alright?"

Mario crossed his arms, "He's fine. Just emotional."

"Alright." Officiator Toad cleared his throat, "Now then, Princess Peach, do you take Luigi as your lawfully wedded husband until death do you part?"

Peach could hardly hold still in her excitement, "Yes, of course I do!"

"And, erm, Luigi," he paused until Luigi looked up at him, "Do you take Princess Peach to be your lawfully wedded wife until death do you part?"

Luigi froze, his hands shaking. He was happy to be wearing gloves, or his ice might have spread to the floor by now. He opened his mouth, then he closed it, trying to keep his lungs under control as he was close to hyperventilating.

 _"Hey."_ Mario whispered to him, _"It's okay. This doesn't need to be perfect. Don't overthink it."_

Cappy gave Luigi an encouraging nudge, and Luigi swallowed. Peach was growing concerned at this point, her eyebrows knitted together in worry.

Taking one last deep breath, Luigi nodded, squeezing Peach's hands between them.

"He said yes!" Officiator Toad cheered, "Now, with the power vested in me; I declare you husband and-!"

An explosion outside shook the whole building, and the altar cracked, throwing Officiator Toad to the ground. Luigi caught Peach before she fell, and the roof crumbled as it threatened to cave in.

Mario rose a fire barrier around the church, throwing the rubble off to the side, and the toads began to scream.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Captain Toad opened the doors wide, "EVERYONE EVACUATE, NOW!"

Luigi made sure Peach was on her feet before joining his brother's side, "You don't think it's Bowser!?"

"I don't know." Mario scanned the church until his eyes fell on Lucy, the bowler hat, and he signaled for her to join them, "We need to find out, though. Let's go!"

Before they could make it outside though, the roof of the church was torn away, and a black void descended upon them.

"Mario!" Luigi flew off into it, "MARIOOO!"

"LUIGI!"

The void consumed them, and the world faded to black.

***

_"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"_

Mario sat bolt-upright from his bed at home, shivering from the cold sweat that covered his back. What was that? A dream? What day was it?

He checked his phone. It was June 21st, the day after the wedding. Why couldn't he remember what happened last night? Weird. Getting out of bed, he showered and dressed, the house feeling entirely too quiet. Luigi was usually up much sooner than him, so he probably wasn't asleep. Maybe he wasn't here? He did just get married after all. Maybe he was at Peach's castle.

Mario locked up the house before he left, and the town seemed strangely quiet, too. It was just as busy as it usually was, but there seemed to be something missing. It was so eerie. He ran into Toadette on his way to the castle, and she greeted him enthusiastically.

"Hey, Mario!" she climbed down from the ladder outside the construction site, "I haven't seen you in awhile! How goes it?"

Mario scrutinized her as she approached him, "Toadette, we saw each other yesterday."

"We did?" Toadette thought about it, "Sorry. I don't remember."

"What do you mean you don't remember? My brother got marr-!" Mario cut himself off, "Nevermind. Do you know where Luigi is? I don't think he was at home."

Toadette raised an eyebrow looking at him. He was about to ask again, thinking she hadn't heard him, when she answered, "Who's Luigi?"

Those two simple words made Mario recoil like he'd been slapped, "Toadette, if this is a joke, it isn't funny."

"No joke, Mario." Toadette replied with a shrug, "Are you sure I've met him? Maybe I'd recognize him if I saw him."

"Toadette, he's been your best friend since we were six! How could you not remember him!?" Mario swayed on his feet, suddenly light-headed, "For crying out loud, he married your princess yesterday! You were the bridesmaid! How could you not remember that!?"

Toadette looked him up and down, shaking her head sadly, "Mario, I need to get back to work. Tell your friend I said hi."

He watched her go with increasing uneasiness. Twisting his hands together, he bolted for the castle, his lungs wheezing as he forced himself to run faster and faster.

He burst into the throne room of Peach's castle, where he came across Peach's mother, holding a letter in one hand. She was about as tall as Peach and had the same blonde hair, though it was curled in tight ringlets around her face, and her hazel eyes were framed by wrinkles. Still, she didn't live here, she had moved to another castle since she wasn't the reigning monarch anymore. She hadn't since Peach was eighteen, when the twins were twenty.

"Mario?" she took a step back, "I didn't expect you here so early. What are you doing here?"

"Your majesty, I need to speak with Princess Peach. Is she here?"

The queen looked him up and down, and Mario felt a rock of dread in his stomach as her face fell into one of concern. Mario caught a glimpse of the letter in her hand. It was addressed to the stork.

"I don't know what you mean."

Mario nearly fell over as she pushed past him to the mailbox. No Luigi? No Princess Peach? Just what was going on!?

He numbly took his cell phone out and scrolled through the contacts. Luigi's number was absent.

Typing it in manually, he hit call and pressed the phone to his ear, his dread doubling every time it rang with no answer.

_"I'm sorry, but the number you are trying to reach is not currently in use. Redial to try again, or press one to contact an operator."_

The phone slid from his hand to clatter to the floor. His head was swimming. Stars filled his vision as he realized what must have happened. The void, the black hole, had consumed Luigi and Peach, erasing them from existence and destroying the people's memories of them. That letter the queen was carrying, it must be because she didn't have an heir yet and would need one soon before she was too old. The eerie silence as he walked through town was from Luigi not being there, filling the silence with any random thing that crossed his mind.

There was no wedding, but there should have been one.

Mario grit his teeth, picking up the phone again and scrolling through his other contacts. The town number for Bonneton was still there. Cappy, Tiara, and Lucy didn't have their own cell phones, but The Cap Kingdom did have a call box in the center of town where everyone could hear it ring. Running from the castle, he dialed the number, and it picked up on the second ring.

_"You've reached Bonneton of Cap Kingdom. Dapper speaking."_

"Hey, Dapper, is Cappy there?"

For one horrifying second, he was afraid he wouldn't know who Cappy was, but to his relief, Dapper replied, _"Sure is. One sec."_

There was a thump as he put the phone down. After about four seconds, the phone was picked up again, and Cappy's chipper voice came through the receiver.

_"Hiya, Mario. What's up?"_

"Cappy! I'm so glad to hear from you!" Mario huffed as he ran, "Please tell me you know who Luigi is!"

After a tense few seconds, Cappy spoke again, his voice filled with disbelief, _"Um, you mean your twin brother Luigi, right? The one that got married yesterday?"_

Mario nearly tripped with the sob that threatened to escape, "God, Cappy! I thought I was going crazy for a second! Nobody here remembers him or Peach!"

Cappy didn't reply until Mario made it back to the threshold of his house, _"Whaaat!? Are you joking!?"_

"I really wish I was." Mario slammed the door behind him, "Listen, you need to get over here. We'll talk then."

_"Okay, Mario, just hang tight. I'm on my way."_

Cappy hung up, and Mario stared at his phone as he wondered how a person can simply disappear.

***


	2. Chapter 2

Mario took a deep breath before he opened the door that should have led to Luigi's room. Luigi's favorite color was green, obviously, so his room was full of it. Green wallpaper, green bed sheets, green curtains, but when he opened the door, his heart broke at the sight of plain white walls and cardboard boxes of random clutter. No bed. No dresser. The closet was empty.

He could have gone through the boxes for more discrepancies, but his heart was too heavy, so instead he left the room, closing the door behind him.

He lounged on the couch, avoiding the picture frames in case Luigi had disappeared from them too, until there was a knock on the door and he numbly got up to answer it.

"Hey, Mario." Cappy ushered Lucy and Tiara inside before closing the door, "How are you?"

Mario gazed at the floor, though he wasn't really seeing it, "Don't ask me that."

His voice wavered. Cappy pretended he hadn't noticed.

"Well, what do you remember?" he hovered around Mario's head, wringing his stubby hands together, "You remember the ceremony, right? And the weird void that destroyed the church?"

Mario scratched his head, "The black hole."

Lucy turned from where she'd been looking, probably for signs of Luigi, "What?"

"It was a black hole." Mario repeated, "I've seen them before. Every time I've fallen into one, it messed with time, and often my memories as well." he collapsed onto the couch, "Something tells me you guys didn't suspect that two people had simply vanished."

"Yeah. We didn't know." Tiara flipped upside down, her arms waving in the air above her, "All we found odd was that we just woke up at home after the church was attacked. We don't remember anything after that."

Mario sat up, "I need to call my mom. You guys can listen in if you want."

The four of them crowded around the phone, and Mario dialed the number. It rang three times before someone answered.

 _"You've reached the residence of Anna and Marco Jumpman."_ the woman on the other side said once she'd answered, speaking with a soft Italian accent, _"By any chance, is this my son, Mario?"_

Mario sighed, "Hey, Mama. I just needed to ask if you knew anything about Luigi. You've met him before, right?"

The other side was quiet for a long time. Mario was about to speak again when she finally replied, _"The name sounds familiar."_

Mario's heart swelled with hope, "Really?"

_"Yes. I can't quite place it, though. Did we meet recently?"_

"Oh no, you met a long time ago." it wasn't _really_ a lie, the twins were born 34 years ago, when they had first met their parents.

 _"I see. It's almost bothering me."_ she continued, softer this time, _"Is it important?"_

"Well, yes. I was hoping maybe you'd know where he was. You see, he went missing yesterday."

He felt so bad lying to his own mother, even if what he said was mostly true, but it had to be done. He didn't want her worrying about him over something she had no control over.

_"Well, I'll ask around. Are you busy today?"_

Mario smiled sadly, "Yes, unfortunately, but I'll call you as soon as possible. Love you, Mama."

_"I love you too, Bambino."_

Once he hung up, Cappy shot him a questioning look, "Bambino?"

"It's Italian for 'child'."

"Oh."

"Well..." Mario pocketed his phone as he stood, "I think I know how to fix this. Cappy, can your airships be modified to fly into outer space?"

"Outer space?" he repeated incredulously, "Sure they can, if you can wait a few weeks for them to get upgraded."

Mario let out a breath he'd been holding, "We don't have time for that. We need something faster."

An idea struck him in that moment, and his eyebrows flew into his hairline.

"Oh! I know that look!" Lucy twirled in the air, "What's your idea, Mario?"

Mario pulled his hat down over his eyes, then he tossed it onto the end table and gestured for Lucy to take its place. She shapeshifted into his signature red cap before landing on his head.

"We're going to ask for help." Mario left the house, making a beeline down the path he'd know well for the rest of his life, "I only hope he's willing to cooperate."

***

"No."

"Please, Bowser! I don't have much of a choice!"

"You really think I'm going to waste my time and resources chasing after your brother and the bride he stole from me!?" Bowser stomped his foot on the path leading into his castle, "Absolutely not! Find someone else to chuck you into space!"

"I don't _have_ anyone else!" Mario's fire core was shooting lava up his chest like severe heartburn, "Who else do I know who can fly all the way into the stars!? It _has_ to be you!"

"You humiliated me on international TV!"

"You wouldn't listen to us any other way!"

"Luigi stole the princess from me!"

"She's a person, and Luigi loves her!"

"I hate you!"

"Do you want Peach to die!?"

Bowser took pause at the question, "Look. I can't help you. Find someone else."

Mario's eyes glowed a bright scarlet red. As Bowser turned to head back inside, Mario threw up a rock wall to block his path. He surrounded the hulking koopa with fire, the light from the inferno too bright to look at.

"Don't test me, Bowser." Mario exhaled a cloud of burning embers, "Did you forget how much I care about my brother? You remember them, which means you remember what I did to you."

Bowser turned to face him, his expression deadpan, though Mario could see that his hands were shaking.

Bowser growled, the ash getting kicked up and swirling around them, "Are you threatening me, plumber?"

Mario squinted at him, "What's it to you? If you really loved Peach, you would want to help her even though she rejected you. Sure, we humiliated you, but you kidnapped her repeatedly and you destroyed our spirits in the process."

"Uh, Mario?" Cappy huddled close to him, Tiara beside him, "You might be going a little overboard here. Tone it down just a bit?"

Mario didn't reply as he continued to glare at Bowser, the fire closing in around them slowly but surely.

"Listen to your friend, Mario." Bowser pushed back against the fire with his own powers, "You can threaten me all you want, but the answer is still no. Luigi can die for all I care."

Mario's anger flared, and his voice darkened to a harsh murmur, _"What is your problem? Are you really that selfish? Do you need to get something out of a situation to offer help? Are you seriously going to just sit here and let Peach die because she taught you a lesson one time? God, you are pathetic."_

Bowser snarled at him. If there was one thing he hated, it was being insulted, and Mario knew that.

 _"You really care so much about your own ego that you would gladly watch people die just so you don't have to admit that you were wrong. That what you did hurt people, including the very person you claimed to love with all your heart. How cowardly can you be? How much of a depraved, self-centered, emotionless lunatic do you have to be to preserve your own sense of entitlement over the life of someone you tried to marry?"_ Mario's fire got ever closer to the point where sweat was dripping down his forehead, _"I can do this all day, Bowser. You're pathetic. You're a sorry excuse of a king. You're not even worth-!"_

"God! Fine! I'll help you!"

In an instant, the inferno cleared, revealing the blue sky above them.

Mario innocently shoved his hands in his pockets, his easygoing smile returning, "Thanks, Bowser. It means a lot to me."

With another stomp and a huff, Bowser led him to his barrage of airships, and he untied the biggest one from its post as they all climbed aboard.

Meanwhile, the hats all shared nervous glances with each other, wondering if there had been a better course of action.

***


	3. Chapter 3

The planet receded farther and farther away as Mario watched from the stern of Bowser's airship. The sky was filled with glowing nebulas, star bits gliding by in a sparkling haze. Mario leaned out over the railing, catching one as they soared past and munching on it thoughtlessly. He remembered once that Rosalina said the star bits tasted like honey, but to Mario, they tasted more like caramelized sugar glass candy.

"Mario." Lucy leapt from his head to face him, "What the heck was that?"

Mario swallowed, "I don't know what you mean."

"You totally grilled him!" Tiara scolded, "Was there really no other way? You scared me to death!"

Mario tossed the rest of the star bit over his shoulder, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Mario, drop it." Cappy's eyes shadowed over, "We know what we saw. We know what we _heard._ Give us one good explanation for why in the world you did that."

Mario snapped at them, "Listen, you three! Luigi is my brother! Peach is my best friend! If I have to insult someone to save them, then so be it! Notice how I didn't _attack_ Bowser! He knows that I don't attack him unprompted! It's fine!"

"It's not the fact that you insulted him!" Lucy yelled out in exasperation, "It's the principle behind it! You used intimidation and brute force to make someone bend to your will! Do you not see how that could be a problem!?"

Mario glared at her, leaning back on the banister and watching the stars fly by.

"I don't care." Mario said, "No one was hurt, and we're on our way to save our friends. That's what matters to me."

"But you scared us!" Cappy shook him, "Does that not matter to you at all!? We watched you become a bad guy like a switch being flipped! You were almost unrecognizable! Would Luigi be happy with you knowing you used cruelty to get what you want!?"

"Don't-!" Mario took a sharp breath in through his nose, "Don't tell me what Luigi would want. I've known him longer than all of you."

"You didn't answer my question."

Mario and Cappy continued to stare at each other until Mario sighed long and heavy, "Fine. I'm sorry I scared you guys. For the record though, I guarantee Luigi would do the same thing in my place."

"I didn't ask if Luigi would do the same thing." Cappy said, "I asked if Luigi would be happy knowing that you would threaten someone to help him."

"You know what?" Mario gazed out into the open space, "He probably wouldn't be, but like I said, I don't care. I don't like Bowser, and I'm not going to play nice when lives are on the line."

The hats glanced at each other, sharing looks of unease.

"Okay, fine." Lucy relented, "It's fine. I still disagree with it, but I understand the logic."

"It was just creepy." Tiara said, "The way you looked at him, I thought you were out for murder!"

"No, you know I wouldn't..." Mario choked up, backing up in his thought process, "I...was just trying to unsettle him. I didn't mean to scare you."

Cappy caught the slip, but he didn't mention it, "Mario, please, try not to threaten people. Bowser probably deserved it, but what you did kinda puts a bad taste in my mouth."

"I know." Mario nodded, "And you know me better than that. It's not something I would normally do."

"I know, but still." Cappy watched their home planet until it was just a speck in the distance, and the four of them lapsed into companionable silence.

"So..." Lucy retook her spot on Mario's head, "Why are we out here, exactly? What was your plan?"

"Huh?" Mario laughed, "Oh, of course! I didn't even explain myself! Well, I've never seen a black hole that close to home before, and I've never seen the effects of it work on an entire society, but I know what I saw. The only person I can think of who understands those black holes and their space-bending effects, it's Rosalina, the queen of the cosmos and the mother of the stars. Unfortunately, she's only at home once every hundred years, so we can't contact her through normal means."

"Once every hundred..." Lucy mumbled, "How old is Rosalina?"

Mario shrugged, "When I asked a few years ago, she said she was thirty, but I get the feeling there's more to it than that. To be fair, we've seen the star festival more than once in my lifetime, so time probably works differently for her."

Tiara just dodged a starbit as it collapsed on the deck of Bowser's ship, "She's responsible for the star festival? I had no idea."

"She's not exactly a public figure. I only know her because I helped her during one of my adventures." Mario put his hand on the railing as he walked towards the bow of the ship, "Contacting her from out here shouldn't be difficult either. All we have to do is find a luma. They're all in contact with her somehow."

"So you don't really have a plan?" Cappy flew in front of him, blocking his path, "How are we supposed to find any of these lumas if they're out in open space?"

"We don't need a plan yet." Mario stepped around him, "These black holes don't usually kill people. Instead, they warp your perception of reality and time itself. I'm positive that Luigi and Peach are still alive, but until we talk to Rosalina, we can't get them back. I don't know enough about spacetime to make that call. Don't worry, though. Lumas are everywhere in the universe. All we have to do is find a small galaxy, and chances are, we'll find dozens of them."

"Mario!?"

As if on cue, a blue luma appeared, their ringing voice carrying across the void of space around them.

Mario beamed at them, "Sky! Thank goodness! It's good to see you!"

Sky hovered around him, "What are you doing here!? Did Bowser kidnap you!? Are you hurt!?"

"No, I'm fine, but I need to talk to Rosalina." Mario explained, "Do you know where the Comet Observatory is?"

"You need to talk to Mama?" Sky looked behind them, "Sure, okay. Stop in the next galaxy. I'll meet you there."

Sky flew off, and Mario headed up to the deck where Bowser was watching the wheel.

"Hey, can we stop in the next galaxy?"

"Does it matter what I say?" Bowser spat back at him, "If I say no, you'll just stop us anyway."

Mario sighed, "Bowser, I don't have time for this. Either you stop in the next galaxy, or we'll endlessly float through space for the rest of our lives. Take your pick."

Without waiting for a response, he went down the stairs and entered the cabin, where benches lined the walls. Mario lay down on one of them, boring holes into the ceiling with his gaze as he held his powers back from accidentally burning the whole airship down.

"Uh..." Cappy closed the cabin door, "How long have you and Bowser known each other?"

Mario frowned, "Our whole lives. He's only a year or two older than me and Luigi, and he was exactly like how you'd expect. He was a playground bully, but with bigger toys to play with, kinda like Bowser Junior today. In fact, Bowser is strikingly similar to his son to the point where I feel like I'm a baby again, fighting off against someone much bigger and stronger than me. The only one he was ever nice to was Peach, and that was only a few years ago when...you know what? I don't hate Bowser that much. You guys get the idea."

Lucy hopped into the air to stare down at him, "Mario...in the Mushroom and Koopa Kingdoms, a king is a prince who is married, correct? Why is Bowser a king when Peach is only a princess?"

Mario's fire died down as his expression softened, "Well...logic dictates that Bowser was married at some point."

The hats all shared a glance, but before they came to any kind of conclusion, Mario yawned.

"You should rest." Tiara found a blanket to drape over him, "You've had a long day."

Mario closed his eyes, "Will you guys keep watch for me? I don't trust Bowser."

He didn't hear their reply, if they had one. He was already too far gone to hear.

***

"Hey."

Mario blearily blinked up at the ceiling. Cappy was nudging him.

"Bowser says we're here."

Mario stretched his arms out into the air before sitting up. He fell back against the wall, his head thunking against the wooden planks.

Lucy looked him up and down, "You okay?"

Mario shook his head, "Didn't sleep well." he squeezed his eyes shut before he stood up, "Okay. Where are we?"

He opened the cabin door to bright sunlight (well, starlight since it wasn't specifically the sun) and fluffy dandelion seeds floating through the air. He sneezed, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

To the left of the airship, a cluster of lumas talked to each other in fast, high-pitched voices. Most importantly, the Comet Observatory was there, and a familiar figure in a flowing turquoise dress held her golden wand in one hand, her concerned gaze sweeping over the area.

Mario leapt onto the platform leading up to her, and the hem of her dress billowed up around her at the movement.

Mario gave a short bow, "Rosalina."

Rosalina tilted her head down to match his display of respect, "Mario. I'm happy to see you again. Sky said you needed to speak with me?"

"Yes."

"I have a feeling I know what it's about." Rosalina turned, gesturing for him to follow, "Please. Come with me."

As he followed behind her, Bowser turned his airship around, and it flew off into the sky. Mario rolled his eyes. At least that was one less problem he had to deal with.

Rosalina led them to the kitchen, where the oven was on, the timer only three minutes from hitting zero. The three hats were constantly trying to look at everything at the same time, rubbernecking in the most over-the-top, cartoonish fashion Mario had ever seen. A tiny white luma separated from the crowd, landing on Mario's head and nuzzling into his hair affectionately. It melted his heart. He had a real soft spot for this little guy.

"Luma." Mario picked him up and held him tight to his chest, "I missed you, kiddo. How are you?"

Luma giggled, sparkling as he rubbed his cheek into Mario's chin. It always tickled when he did that.

"Luma missed you the most, I think." Rosalina sat at the dining table, setting her wand in the center of the star-shaped tablecloth, "He misses Luigi, too. You two are like family to him."

Thinking about Luigi again made Mario's heart sink, "Right. About that..."

Rosalina nodded, "I know what you're going to say. First though, I think introductions are in order..."

Mario glanced at the hats, still enraptured in the new surroundings, "Oh, yes. Guys?"

"Huh? Oh!" Cappy bowed his whole body, "I'm Cappy! This is my sister Tiara, and this is our good friend Lucy!"

Lucy and Tiara waved at her, and Rosalina laughed softly.

"You three are very charming." she said, "My name is Rosalina. I watch over and protect the cosmos, and I'm the adoptive mother to all these lumas."

"Wow." Lucy eyed the fourteen or so lumas that were in the kitchen alone, "Doesn't that get overwhelming?"

"At times, yes. I am only human, after all." Rosalina caught Luma out of the air, holding him close to her as his tinkling laugh echoed against the brick walls, "But I love them with all my heart. They are worth everything I can offer and more."

Mario swallowed the lump in his throat, "So...you know what happened?"

Rosalina let Luma rest on her shoulder, "I know there was a disturbance in spacetime, but I'm unaware of the details. You'll have to fill me in."

So Mario went on to explain... _everything._ The wedding, the crash, the black whole, the collective amnesia. The fact that Toadette didn't remember her best friend. The fact that the queen didn't remember her own daughter.

Rosalina listened patiently, nodding along to the story, until Mario was finished and she simply remained quiet.

Luma hid beneath Rosalina's platinum blonde hair as she looked up at him, "That is very serious. I haven't seen anything like this in a long time."

Mario gulped loudly, "So how do we fix it?"

Rosalina sighed, "I don't know. We'll need to find some way to track them down. Mario, you still remember them. Do you have anything with you that once belonged to Luigi?"

Mario scoured his pockets, but anything he could have counted as Luigi's was gone. He massaged his forehead, letting out a frustrated groan.

"Oh! I know!" Lucy twirled as she procured a singed piece of green fabric with Luigi's emblem on it, "I still have this from when I took his hat's form!"

"Perfect!" Rosalina reached for it, "Let me see it."

Lucy handed it over, and Rosalina picked up her wand and waved it over the fabric. It shone brilliantly before lifting into the air, and it shot off into the distance like a bullet. Rosalina followed it, and the Observatory lurched as she started the engine to steer the ship through space.

Once she returned, the oven timer dinged, and she put on oven mitts before reaching inside.

Mario sniffed the air, "Whoa. That smells amazing."

"Today was slow, so I decided to try a new recipe." Rosalina set the casserole dish on the table, "Feel free to have some if you like."

The lumas hovered around the table while Rosalina took a spatula to set aside a portion for herself, taking several bite-sized pieces for some of the lumas until half the dish was gone. Mario's stomach rumbled as he realized he hadn't eaten at all since before the wedding, and he wasted no time grabbing a plate to take a portion for himself. The dish was like a lasagna, but with liquid mozzarella sauce and diced tomatoes, coated in melted shredded cheese that stretched into stringy strands like it would on a perfect pizza slice.

Rosalina gave an amused laugh as Mario's face lit up, savoring every bite like it could be his last, "Don't eat it too fast! It's hot!"

"This is the greatest thing I've ever tasted." Mario took another bite, licking his lips with the biggest smile on his face, "Thank you, Rosalina. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome!" she took another bite of her own plate, "Now, the Observatory is on its way. As soon as I finish this, I'll need to get back out there to help steer it."

Mario put his fork down, "Can we find them?"

"I hope so. If this doesn't work, finding where they've disappeared to may be impossible."

Mario swallowed thickly, suddenly not hungry anymore, "I won't accept that. You know I would never give up on Luigi or Peach."

Rosalina gave a single nod, "I had a feeling you'd say that. Don't worry. We'll find a way."

Luma lazily nudged Mario's forehead, whining in concern.

Mario shook his head, "I'm fine, but I'm not going home without them. I don't care how long it takes, I need to find them."

Rosalina finished her plate before taking it to the sink, "I will let you know when I have a verdict."

She left, and Mario picked at his food until it went cold.

***


	4. Chapter 4

"Mario."

Mario sat on top of the bedroom, his legs dangling off the edge. He was facing the comet in the center of the home, so he was staring down into open space, where only the force field around it would save him from tumbling into the darkness.

"Mario." Flight, the red luma, nudged him until he looked up, "Hey, look at me."

Mario looked up, but said nothing.

"What are you thinking about?" Flight darted back and forth around him, "You know your friends are in good hands, Mama is on it as we speak!"

"I know, but..." Mario sighed, his hands gripping the edge on either side of him, "It wouldn't matter if the universe itself was trying to help me. I can't shake the feeling that they're really in danger."

Flight nudged him more insistently, "Well, she says she'd like to see you."

Mario got up slowly, heading to the front of the dome and jumping off before walking towards the circle where Rosalina stood facing the comet, which was filled to the brim with power stars. The scrap of Luigi's old hat was still flying off way up in the air, and every time it changed its trajectory, Rosalina tilted her wand to steer the ship in that direction.

Mario opened his mouth to speak, but Rosalina beat him to it, "How have you been faring in all of this?"

Mario ran a hand through his hair, "Don't ask me that."

"Why not?" Rosalina turned her head towards him, "I'm just making sure you're okay."

Mario shook his head, taking a sharp inhale, "Because if I think about it, I'm afraid I might cry."

Rosalina handed her wand off to Polari, the elder black luma, before her feet touched the ground and she knelt in front of him, "Perhaps that means it is necessary."

Mario's shoulders shook, and he squeezed his eyes shut as tears streamed down his face.

_"I can't lose him again..."_

Rosalina opened her arms to him, and he hugged her tightly as he softly cried.

"It's alright, Mario." Rosalina said in her smooth, motherly voice, "It's only natural to be upset. Don't be mad at yourself."

The lumas surrounded them, transferring their cosmic magic to Mario until his sniffles stopped and the many tiny hugs calmed him down.

Mario broke away from her, finding that even kneeling down, Rosalina floated ever so slightly off the ground, _"S-sorry..."_

"It's alright. I'm used to dealing with sad people, as you can imagine."

Mario laughed, wiping his tears away.

"Oh!" Polari waved Rosalina's wand, "Miss Rosalina, we're here!"

She took her wand back, "Thank you, Polari." she waved it, and the Observatory parked, dormant as it drifted through the empty space.

Her face fell in complete and utter dread.

Mario gazed up at where she was looking. Taking up half their vision was a black void, twisting into nothingness like a rip tide. The whirlpool was emitting a high-pitched whooshing sound like distant wind over a rocky cliff.

Luigi's hat scrap disappeared into it, and Rosalina covered her mouth with both hands.

Mario swallowed the lump in his throat, his core suddenly cold, "Rosalina, _please_ tell me they aren't in _there."_

Rosalina shook her head, "It can't be...but it is..."

Polari hovered in front of them protectively, "This wormhole is unstable! There's no telling where it goes!"

Mario grit his teeth, "Is that where Luigi and Peach are!?"

Rosalina glanced between him and the whirlpool, "Most likely, but don't-!"

Mario jumped as high as he could towards the vortex, and it took every luma in the area to stop him in time.

"Are you crazy, young man!?" Polari shouted in his ear, "If you go into that, you will vanish like your friends!"

"But I need to save them!" Mario broke away so he fell onto the ground.

"Mario!" Cappy suddenly appeared, and he ushered him away from the vortex, "You weren't seriously gonna just leap into that by yourself!?"

"I need to save them!" he repeated hopelessly, "I need to! I can't just sit here and-!"

**"Mario."**

Rosalina's voice echoed across the void, clicking across Mario's skin and raising goosebumps all over his arms.

Her voice returned to normal once she had his attention, "If you simply leap into that void, you will not save them. You will vanish the same way they did. It will not help anyone."

Mario glared at her, but he let it drop a second later, "Then what should I do?"

Rosalina waved her wand again, and Luma disappeared through Mario's head to settle in his fiery heart, "We will go in together. Do not make a move outside of what I say."

And with that, the Comet Observatory was surrounded by a huge force field as it flew into the vortex.

Mario's senses were muffled as they glided. Rosalina wrapped both arms around him, the lumas surrounding them as if to protect them from whatever was beyond the void.

"I'm here." Rosalina comforted the smaller lumas, "It's okay. Mama's here."

Luma activated Mario's fire from inside him, warming him all the way down to his fingertips. His eyes flashed with a bright golden light, and he threw his fire up into the air around them, reinforcing Rosalina's barrier around the Observatory. Rosalina's cosmic white magic mixed with his red fire, and it created a safe bubble around the ship even as the void pressed harder and harder on them from all sides.

"We're getting closer." Rosalina reached her arm out that held the wand, the other on Mario's shoulder, "Stay here. Don't go ahead."

Mario glanced up at her. For the first time ever, Rosalina's face reflected something like panic. For someone who was so powerful and level-headed, where had this panic come from?

Her words sunk in as she made eye contact with him.

_"Stay here. Don't go ahead."_

She was afraid of losing him.

He nodded towards her, "I'll stay if it makes you feel better."

She deflated in relief, "Thank you. I know you want to save your friends, but please, don't be reckless."

Polari hovered over them, "We're almost there! Hold on!"

The darkness suddenly let up, and they found themselves in a new galaxy. The sky was totally black, no stars to be seen, and the only planets consisted of floating rubble and random objects that Mario doubted really counted as planets.

In the trash that surrounded them, the scrap of Luigi's hat floated away from them, and it stopped beside a very familiar figure that made Mario choke back a sob.

It was Luigi. He was unconscious, floating through empty space, still dressed in the same suit he got married in.

"Luigi!" Mario reached out, but Rosalina yanked him back.

**"Mario, what did I say?"**

Mario flinched, "I'm sorry. I just...my brother-!"

"I know." she pushed him further away from the threshold, "Let me handle this. He is lost, so retrieving him will be no simple task. Watch."

She floated out towards the force field she'd created, touching it with her wand before reaching her free arm through it. Her hand closed around Luigi's wrist, and she pulled him towards herself until he passed through the barrier, sparkling as he did so.

Mario reached his arms out to catch him, lowering him to the floor and cradling his head in his arm, "Luigi?"

Rosalina landed beside him, "It's alright. Let him wake up."

Luigi's eyes slowly fluttered open, and when they settled on Mario, he took a huge gasp of air.

"Mario?"

_"Luigi..."_ Mario hugged him close, his face in Luigi's shoulder, _"Luigi, thank god you're okay..."_

Luigi hugged him back, allowing Mario to sob into his jacket until his hold on him loosened, and he carefully sat up to touch the scar on his forehead.

"Mario, what happened?" Luigi cradled Mario's face in his hand, wiping a tear away with his thumb, "Did something happen to me? Why are we on the Observatory?"

"You were trapped in a black hole." Rosalina explained, "This galaxy is not a true galaxy. It's more like a pocket universe that draws from other worlds. I'm glad to see you unharmed, Luigi."

Luma emerged from Mario's head to dance around Luigi, nuzzling affectionately into him.

"Hey, little guy!" Luigi tickled him, which made him laugh, "I missed you too!"

Mario glanced up at the three hats, which all looked like they had something to say.

"Let's get out of here." Rosalina steered the Observatory towards the whirlpool's entrance, "Do not leave the barrier."

***

Luigi munched on a star bit as Mario relayed the story as he knew it, both of them in the grass of the garden. Luigi finished off his snack, licking his fingers for any lingering stickiness as Mario went quiet, and he thought for awhile after the story was finished.

Finally, Luigi said, "And you haven't found Peach yet?"

Mario sadly shook his head.

Luigi sighed, "I was afraid of that. Did anyone else get deleted?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"I see." Luigi lay on his back, and Mario lay beside him.

Luma hopped on each of their heads, joyfully calling out to each one before settling between them in the grass.

"Aw, what a cutie." Luigi rolled onto his side to hold Luma against his cheek, drawing another tiny giggle.

"Okay, guys..." Cappy entered the dome, and was immediately distracted by the change in scenery, "Whoa..."

"Hey, Cappy." Mario lifted his hand in greeting, "Yeah, this place is a little weird. You get used to it."

Cappy hovered over them, where Luigi was still hugging Luma with a blissful smile on his face.

He made a sound like clearing his throat, "Hey, Luigi."

He looked up, "Hi."

Lucy and Tiara entered the garden in the next second, and the three hats made eye contact.

"So..." Cappy twisted his hands between each other, "How much do you remember?"

Luigi's smile fell as he lay on his back again, and he let go of Luma, who nuzzled even closer to him, whining in concern at his change of demeanor.

"Honestly, I don't really recognize what I remember. I'm not sure how much of it was a dream and how much was real." Luigi cupped a loose hand around Luma, staring up at the clouds overhead, "I remember being at the wedding. The church was being attacked, and we were about to figure out what was going on, and I was sucked into the black hole, but as I flew up into it and it filled my vision on all sides...the world began to slow down."

Mario rolled onto his side to face him, crossing his arms, "The world slowed down?"

"Yeah. It was like everything was moving in slow motion." Luigi laced his fingers over his stomach, "It went slower and slower, everyone frozen in shock, including Peach who was now far below me. The darkness came all the way through, surrounding me until there was a void on all sides. By this point, I can feel myself growing heavy and tired, my thoughts slowing until I couldn't think anymore. I...I thought I was dying...there was nothing around me, and the darkness felt stifling, like it was pressing on me on all sides. It was like there was no oxygen left."

Cappy, Lucy, and Tiara hovered around him as Mario took his hand, "Is that it?"

"Sorry, no, I just..." Luigi took a deep breath, "Now I'm realizing that that was probably not a dream at all, and...well, I heard a voice before I blacked out..."

Mario gave his hand a squeeze, "Hey, it's okay, Luigi. You're safe here."

"I know." Luigi shook his head, jostling Luma, "It's just that...it was a voice I recognized..."

Mario wrapped him up in a huge hug, "Luigi, it's okay. I've got you now."

Luigi hugged him back, "I'm scared, Mario. I don't want to see him again. I don't want to hear from him again."

"I know. Hush." Mario held him as he cried, "I know."

Lucy looked at Luma as he rose into the air dejectedly, "Luigi, whose voice did you hear?"

Luigi shakily let out a breath of air, but the words were stuck in his throat.

"Here. Allow me to explain." Mario broke away to hold his shoulders, "Luigi once knew someone who could manipulate time and space. He seemed like a nice guy, complimenting Luigi and buying him gifts, doing nice things for us even when he got nothing in return, and he became a good friend overtime. But, I began to notice...oddities, for lack of a better word. Where Luigi was once calm and relaxed, he was quietly anxious, as if awaiting some storm. The friend started acting weirdly possessive of Luigi, getting jealous when he spent time with me or Peach, and he got offended at the smallest things, like when we didn't tell him where we were going on one of our adventures, or when I forgot his favorite color."

"Oh dear..." cartoonish sweat drops flew off Tiara's head, "I already know where this is going..."

Luigi hid his face in Mario's collar as Mario continued the story, "I finally figured it out when Luigi came home crying. The friend had been forcefully prodding him for details about his life, from his friends to what he ate to where he had been throughout the day, and claimed that Luigi was flawed in a way that only he could fix. Luckily, Luigi saw right through his attempt at manipulation and cut all contact with him, but the damage had been done. Luigi believed that he hadn't been good enough, and tried to tell me that if he had done something different, this wouldn't have happened, so the next time I saw the friend, I yelled at him, and I told him that if he ever spoke to Luigi again, I would wring his neck until it snapped."

"And then I told you that you were way out of line!" Luigi said.

"I know, but he got the message. We never saw him again." Mario glanced up at the hats to make sure they were still following, "And before you ask, Luigi was never really in a relationship with this person because he still had a crush on Peach back then, but they were still very close. In fact, I'm pretty sure the friend was often violently jealous of the attention he gave her."

"It's not fair!" Luigi punched at the air, rolling through the grass and disturbing a group of butterflies in the flowers, "I was just about to forget about him as I married the love of my life, and he had to come in and ruin it!"

He collapsed into a fit of sobbing, shaking uncontrollably as he dug his fists into his eyes to try and stop the tears from falling. Luma nuzzled into his forehead more insistently while Mario pulled him into another hug, and Luigi held onto him with all his renewed strength.

"So that's it!?" Cappy darted around the dome in a frenzy, "All of this over some crazy jealous ex!?"

"It's more complicated than that." Mario ran a hand up and down Luigi's back, "If he was really so slighted by Luigi's rejection, he would have acted years ago when it happened, not now during his wedding. He isn't known for his patience or his foresight, so even though he had powers of spacetime manipulation, there's no way he would simply let Luigi heal from his mind games in order to strike."

"So what _is_ the answer?" Lucy asked, "What does this person want if not Luigi? He did ruin _Luigi's_ wedding, didn't he?"

Mario held Luigi's head close to his own, "I don't think so. I always got the sense that he had bigger plans than his poor treatment of my brother, based on his other actions. Plus, if that were the case, he wouldn't have bothered to take Peach. He would have simply taken Luigi and left. Don't you find it odd that Luigi was just floating in a void by himself, not being guarded by anything coming through from the outside?"

"Okay, I give up." Lucy floated to the ground, "This guy's motives are confusing me."

"Well, we don't have enough information to know exactly what he wants." Mario replied, "Luigi, do you remember what the voice said to you?"

Luigi squeezed his eyes shut as more tears fell, and he suddenly regretted asking him anything.

"You know what? Don't answer that." Mario took his hand, "You must be exhausted. Let's talk about this another time."

Luigi smiled gratefully, "Thanks, bro. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You've been through a lot." Mario took a breath of air, "Luigi, I'm so happy to see you safe. I almost expected to never see you again."

"Well, I'm glad you came through for me." Luigi replied, "I just...I hope I was wrong and I didn't hear his voice..."

"Don't think about it right now." Mario said, "Just rest. I'm here for you."

So Luigi closed his eyes as Luma curled up by his shoulder, and the sounds of distant birds chirping distracted them from the proverbial crashing waves.

***


	5. Chapter 5

Rosalina stood on the platform in front of the garden, still floating slightly above the floor as she watched the passing star bits and various concerned lumas. Mario emerged from the garden, unsure if she wanted to be disturbed or not and if he should just turn around and head back inside.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

It took a second for Mario to realize she was talking to him, "Oh, yeah. I mean, you were there for most of it, so..."

She turned to face him, tucking a loose hair behind her ear, "That's true. Forgive me, there are many things I know that perhaps I shouldn't."

"S'okay. I know the feeling."

Rosalina held her wand close to her chest, casting her gaze over the endless array of stars in the distance, "I didn't realize until now just how much I missed you. You added something to our community that wasn't matched by anything else. I wish sometimes that I could simply go home and leave the cosmos behind. There are draws to a simple life, you know."

Mario stood beside her, his hands in his pockets, "I do know. Nobody likes feeling homesick."

Rosalina suddenly leapt from the platform, her skirt billowing out around her, "Care to join me downstairs?"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Mario swiped for her but she dodged, "You can fly!"

She laughed playfully at him, "Don't give me that! I know you can follow me just fine!"

As she flew down towards the library, Mario jumped after her, falling into a dive as he slid down the roof to catch up with her. She sat on the couch outside the library, and he took the spot next to her, huffing out a breathless laugh.

"Even without Luma, you can do incredible things." Rosalina told him, "It never fails to impress me."

"Thank you, Rosalina." Mario crossed his ankles out in front of him, "You're not so bad yourself."

Rosalina fiddled with her sleeve before smoothing down her skirt, her amused expression becoming downcast.

Mario looked up at her, "Is everything alright?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. This whole thing is beyond my comprehension. I want to do more to help you, but I'm afraid of putting my lumas in danger. You know that as their mother, they are my top priority."

Mario nodded slowly, "I know. I appreciate what you _are_ doing, though. It's more than I would have hoped."

She was quiet after that, simply lost in her own thoughts. Mario glanced from her to the lumas that surrounded them, and he felt a sense of wistfulness overcome him as he remembered what it felt like to say goodbye.

Rosalina tilted her head back, closing her eyes against the glare of a distant star, "How's Luigi faring?"

Mario looked up as he thought, "He's fine, but he's pretty shaken up about this whole thing. We're going to need to find Peach before either of us can have peace of mind."

"That's understandable." Rosalina rested her hands in her lap, "Does he know what may have caused this?"

"Uh, sort of." Mario leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, "We're thinking it might be an abusive friend we once had, but we aren't sure."

He felt drained just thinking about it, so instead, he tried to shift his thought process to happier things.

"So..." Mario smiled at her, "How have you been otherwise?"

Rosalina was grateful for the topic change, "Oh, it's been wonderful. You wouldn't believe the places I've seen as I travel! Luma was especially fond of this galaxy entirely full of block puzzles! It was extraordinary!"

"I've been there before!" Mario sat up straight, "It's crazy how it's all put together! You'd never guess how it got there in such perfect condition!"

"Polari in particular is a fan of the flowers there. Tiny puzzles all on their own."

"Luigi said the same thing. He used to fiddle with those for _hours._ I can't say I blame him. Oh! While I'm thinking about it, where did you learn how to cook?"

Rosalina frowned, but it was quickly replaced by a sad smile, "My mother."

"Oh." Mario looked away, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I like being reminded of her now." Rosalina bunched up her skirt in her fists, "My mother used to cook something every day. In fact, she enjoyed cooking more than she enjoyed eating, so our neighbors always got free leftovers. My father and my brother and I could never eat it all, but we made a valiant effort. After I took in the lumas, I suppose I just picked up where she left off. I've enjoyed cooking ever since."

"That's wonderful." Mario snickered, "The last time I tried to cook something, I set the stove on fire, and the dish still somehow ended up raw."

Rosalina snorted as she held back a laugh, "Oh dear. I hope no one was hurt."

"Just my pride. Luigi was always better at cooking than me. You know, my mom likes to cook too. She always made sure me and Luigi were well-fed."

She gently nudged him, "I can tell."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I'm only teasing you." she hugged herself, "My cooking doesn't taste like my mother's, but I don't mind. My lumas don't seem to mind, either."

"Well, that dish you made earlier is some of the best food I've ever had, if my opinion matters to you."

"Of course it does." Rosalina shifted to face him, "Why wouldn't your opinion matter to me?"

He smiled up at her, noting the way her ice-blue eyes sparkled with her cosmic powers, "Good point. I'm kind of a big deal."

She nudged him again, trying to sound angry but being unable to hold back an amused smile, "You're ridiculous!"

"Why, thank you!"

She floated into the air, twirling so her legs kicked out in front of her, "Would you like to see how to prevent fires in the kitchen?"

Mario nodded eagerly, jumping to his feet, "Yes please!"

She flew circles around him before landing on the ground to begin running, and Mario hurried after her.

***

Luigi woke up disoriented. He saw the bright blue sky above him, but then he saw the rocks enclosed around him like on the gate. The memories came back to him as he sat up, rubbing his head, still in his wedding suit.

"Oh, you're awake." Cappy hovered to his side, "How do you feel?"

Luigi yawned, "Fine. Hey, can you get me my sweater and overalls back?"

Cappy landed on his head with a flourish, and the light passed over Luigi until he was in his usual ensemble.

"Thanks." he stood up and stretched as Cappy backed off, "Where's Mario?"

"I dunno. He left to find Rosalina and hasn't come back yet."

A yellow luma poked their head into the garden, shimmering through the curtain that kept up the illusion of the dome. Luigi thought their name was Swiss, but he wasn't sure.

"Mario's in the kitchen." they said, "You should come see!"

Luigi knew where the kitchen was, so he left the garden, sliding down the roof with one hand on his hat and landing on the bedroom before crossing the bridge to the kitchen.

"Mmm..." Luigi sniffed the air, "Something smells amazing..."

His mouth watered as he poked his head into the kitchen. Rosalina was on a tangent about yeast making dough rise, and how the amount of sugar actually changes the way cake batter will turn into cake. Mario soaked all of it in, his brow furrowed comically while he tapped his foot, a hand on his chin. Both of them wore white aprons over their clothes, and they had their sleeves rolled up, with Mario's gloves discarded on the dining table.

"So, if you want the perfect consistency of cake, you need the right combination of dry and wet ingredients, or else it may come out too crusty or too soft. You also must wait for the cake to cool before you frost it, or else the frosting will melt, and it's always a sorry sight when that happens."

Mario put the oven mitts on, "Is there a special ratio for frosting?"

"It's mostly sugar and water, so as long as it's firm enough, it doesn't matter as much." the timer went off, and Rosalina opened the oven door, "Now, before you take it out, you need to stab it with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, we can take it out to cool. Otherwise it goes back in for another ten minutes."

Mario nodded as he took one of the oven mitts off, pulling the center oven rack out and fetching a toothpick from the counter, "Does it matter where I stab it?"

"The middle. That's where it's most likely to still be raw."

Luigi crossed his arms as he smiled, leaning back against the doorway as he watched them bond. The toothpick came out clean, so Mario put the oven mitt back on to pull the cake out and set it on the stove, closing the oven door and turning it off.

"Now we need to take the cake out of the pan." Rosalina pointed out the locking mechanism on the cake pan, "This is what the parchment paper is for. Don't be too rough with it, or the cake may crack."

Mario gingerly clicked the sides of the circular pan off, lifting it away carefully, "Is that a bad thing?"

"Not particularly. It just looks better smooth." Rosalina set up a metal cooling rack, "Here. Slide the cake onto this, and be careful."

Mario gingerly slid the cake off the bottom of the pan, still stuck to the parchment paper, until it touched down on the cooling rack, undamaged.

"Perfect!" Rosalina pushed the rack closer to the wall in case a wayward arm or luma were to knock it off the counter, "Are you sure you can't cook? You're a natural!"

"No no no, it was all you!" Mario rubbed the back of his neck, "You gave very clear instructions, that's all."

"But you followed my instructions to the letter!" she clapped her hands, a beaming smile on her face, "I'm proud of you! Maybe this will help preserve your pride in the future."

Mario laughed, gently punching her arm, "Maybe so. Oh, hey Luigi."

Luigi had a peculiar smile on his face so unlike him that Mario couldn't identify what it meant, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Mario blinked at him, "I'm sorry?"

Rosalina blushed, the slightest pink coating her pale cheeks, "Oh, no. I was merely helping Mario improve in his cooking endeavors."

Her bashful expression clued Mario in on what Luigi was thinking, "Oh! No, Luigi, it isn't like that. We're just doing this as friends."

"I know you are." Luigi shrugged, the peculiar smile replaced with his usual sincere one, "But you looked like you were having fun, and I didn't wanna spoil that for you."

"You're not spoiling anything." Mario assured, "In fact, you're here just in time! Once this cake cools, we're going to frost it and decorate it!"

Luma excitedly flew from Luigi to the cake, but Rosalina stopped him with her arm, "Oh no you don't, little one! You're not taking a single bite of this cake until it's finished!"

Luma pouted, his eyes drawn in deadpan frustration.

"Nope. Away from the cake. That means you, Quasar! Pulse! Nebula! Get away from the cake!"

The pink luma, Pulse, practically got hearts in their eyes, "But it's _staaar biiit caaaaaake..."_

"Which is why it'll be perfect after it's finished!" Rosalina shooed them away, "Luigi, would you like to help us make the frosting?"

"Nah, that's the easy part." he sat at the table, "Don't mind me, just pretend I'm not here and go back to what you were doing."

Mario rolled his eyes, cupping a hand around his mouth so only Rosalina could hear, _"He should know better than to set me up with someone."_ Rosalina seemed confused, so he added, _"He knows I can't fall in love."_

That seemed to surprise her, _"You can't? Really?"_

_"Nope. Not at all."_ he turned back to face the cake, though he still whispered to her, _"Don't be offended. You're a wonderful person, and I care about you deeply, but only as a friend."_

She shot him a smile and a wink, _"Don't worry. I understand that better than you think."_

This startled him enough that he stopped whispering, "What are you talking about?"

She simply shook her head as she opened the window, letting the cool air outside into the stuffy, confined space where the oven had just been running, and he was left to ponder her cryptic response.

***


	6. Chapter 6

After the cake was sufficiently frosted and covered in star bits, Rosalina was perfectly clean, but Mario had somehow gotten frosting all over his arms and face, with clumps of frosting sticking to the apron he had borrowed for this occasion. Some of it had even dried in his hair, giving it what appeared to be a dusting of snow.

Rosalina laughed at him as she ran a washcloth under the water in the sink and wrung it out, handing it over so he could wash his face. She made silly faces when he wasn't looking, making the lumas break out into giggles, but when Mario looked up, she turned away as her expression returned to a neutral one.

Meanwhile, Luigi was trying his absolute hardest to appear interested in the blank wall, biting his lip to prevent himself from laughing. He had never seen Rosalina act so playful with anyone that wasn't her lumas, much less his brother, and he found it absolutely priceless that Mario seemed to have no idea what was going on.

Finally, Mario caught her while she was pulling her eyelid down, her tongue sticking out from the corner of her mouth, and he broke into a fit of laughter as he realized what he had been missing.

Once he was sufficiently cleaned up, Rosalina announced, "Okay, it's done. Line up, everyone. No. No cutting. Single file. That means you, Terra."

The lumas formed an orderly line, and each of them got a tiny sliver of star bit cake. Once half the cake was gone and thirty six lumas were happily fed, Rosalina cut a bigger piece and held it out.

"Mario, I think you should have this one. You worked hard on this, after all. You deserve it."

Mario took the plate as an idea struck him, "Let's take a bite at the same time!"

Rosalina's smile widened from patient to excited, "Oh! Great idea!" she took another piece for herself, cutting a bite-sized piece from the inner corner of her wedge, "Ready?"

They each lifted their forks before taking a bite, and Mario froze up with the fork in his mouth. Rosalina had substituted plain sugar in the recipe for star bits, and their caramel-like taste along with the spongy texture of the cake and the lightness of the frosting was overwhelming. It was, in a word, heavenly.

He licked the fork clean, setting on his plate as the last of the taste melted in his mouth, "Did I really help you with this?"

Rosalina was already on her third bite, "You know, I think it tastes better than I usually make it. They say food is always better when you make it with those you care about. I would have to agree."

Mario took another bite before he remembered that his brother was still there, "Oh, Luigi, did you want a slice too?"

The unexpected question nearly made Luigi fall from his chair, "You bet, bro! I'm starved!"

Rosalina procured a slice for him, and he eagerly ate a forkful of it.

"Delicious!" he licked his lips before taking another bite, "I'm in awe that you could instruct this man! The last time he tried to cook, he set the oven on fire, and whatever mess he was cooking somehow came out raw!"

"Yeah, I already told her that." Mario said, "And she already laughed at me."

Polari stuck his head into the kitchen, "Miss! There's an attacker off the southern edge less than a lightyear away!"

Rosalina's smile fell, "I'll be out soon!"

Mario set his cake down to follow him outside, grabbing his gloves on the way out, and Luigi turned towards her, "You know, Mario may be friendly and polite, but he isn't usually this warm towards people. He must really like you."

"Huh?" Rosalina watched Mario run around the corner of the library until he was out of sight, "I don't know what you mean, he says he can't..."

"I know, but you can have happiness and fulfilment in a romantic relationship without the ability to fall in love." Luigi took another bite, looking thoughtful as he chewed and swallowed, "I think Mario just gave up on having something that could make him happy because he lacks what he believes is crucial for it to be possible, but it isn't. Every time he broke up with his previous partners, he did so because he felt that his lack of feelings for them was unfair, not because the relationship was making him unhappy."

Rosalina took in his words, her mouth open in a silent _"Oh."_ while Luigi finished off his cake and rinsed the plate and fork in the sink.

"I can't read his mind obviously, so I can't say for sure what he's thinking." Luigi dried his hands on the towel that hung from the handle of the oven door, "But I am his twin brother, and one of his closest friends. If he's open to the idea of doing romantic things despite what he can't feel, well...maybe you can fill in the gaps for him."

Luigi left, and Rosalina was lost in her thoughts for a long time.

***

Mario watched the sky for any signs of attack while Polari darted back and forth between the domes, ordering the lumas into certain formations and instructing them on what to do in case of a disaster.

"Hey." Luigi stopped beside him, "What's going on so far?"

"It's not great." Mario shaded his eyes from the light of a nearby star, "See that red speck in the sky? That's what Polari says is coming after us."

"And it's a big one!" Polari passed by while still barking orders, "The lumas may be in danger! _Lotus! Penelope! Get in line, now!"_

Luma darted back and forth between Mario and Luigi, who were preparing their powers for a fight. Fire spread along the ground at Mario's feet while Luigi's ice made a slick surface across the landing. As the red dot turned into a fuzzy smudge, the air of space seemed to change. The lumas gathered closer together in fear, Polari at the forefront to protect the youngest among them.

"What's going on out here!?" Lucy fell atop Luigi's head as his signature green cap, "Are you guys battle-ready!?"

"Logic dictates that means there will be a fight!" Cappy fell atop Mario's head as his red cap, "Tiara, stay back!"

The shape in the distance regained its clarity when it was right in front of the Observatory. The red light had turned out to be a ring around a black force field, making it resemble a black hole, but it expanded outward until it dispersed, now that whatever it was protecting wasn't going at hyper-lightspeeds.

Mario stared in disbelief. It was Bowser's airship fleet, headed by the very ship that had gotten Mario into space in the first place.

"Mario!" Bowser was at the helm of the head airship, his son Bowser Junior by his side, "You have some explaining to do!"

Luigi glanced between the hulking King Koopa and his brother, who was still trapped in a veil of shock, "Mario, what is he talking about?"

"He...um..." Mario tried to piece his thoughts together, but the suddenness of the situation coupled with what Mario had to go through to get to Rosalina had crashed into him, and he couldn't figure out how to explain himself.

Luigi picked up on his nervousness, putting an arm in front of him to put himself between them, "Bowser, what are you doing here!?"

"What am _I_ doing here!? Oh I don't know, maybe it's the three hundred toads storming my castle as we speak because they've convinced themselves that I kidnapped you!" Bowser huffed, spilling smoke from his mouth, "You must be responsible for that, so what did you do!?"

Luigi's eyes snapped wide open, "I'm sorry, what did you say!?"

"We don't know what you're talking about!" Cappy called out to him, "We haven't been home since this whole thing started!"

Bowser narrowed his eyes, "You haven't!?"

"Then how come everyone has their memories of you but not any evidence of your existence!?" Junior pointed at Luigi, who gestured to himself questioningly, "Yes, you! People just remembered you, but nothing else changed! They think it's _our_ fault!"

Luigi was attempting to find some kind of response, but Mario recognized the tell-tale signs of his voice being seized. He was about to step in and help when a hand fell on each of their shoulders.

Rosalina's voice carried a booming echo as she glared up at her former adversary, **"Bowser."**

Mario cringed watching the way they glared daggers at each other. To say that the two of them did not get along would be an understatement. The last time they had seen each other, they had parted on _very_ bad terms.

**"What are you doing here?"** Rosalina lifted her wand, bright white magic surrounding them on all sides, **"Leave. Now."**

"Not until I stop whatever is causing the toads to grow a spine and attack my castle for captives I don't have!" Bowser stomped on the deck of the ship, causing it to dip forward, "I know you two must be responsible! You always are!"

Luigi's mouth moved, but no sound came out, so Mario stepped in for him, "All we did was get Luigi out of wherever he was trapped! We didn't ask the toads to attack you!"

"Dad, maybe they did it by accident." Junior suggested, "It wouldn't be the first time they screwed up like that!"

"That is true." Bowser leapt from his ship to the landing deck of the Observatory, "But I'm still not leaving without those two! I need _some_ kind of peace offering! Luigi, you having a stroke, boy!? If you want to say something, just spit it out!"

"We've already told you a thousand times!" Mario stepped in front of his brother to shield him, "Luigi loses the ability to talk sometimes! It's not his fault!"

"Whatever! I don't have time for this!" Bowser stepped closer, "If you won't come home willingly, then I'll _make_ you! You have no problem with that, eh Mario?"

Luigi glanced at him in a _"What is he talking about?"_ kind of way, and Mario bit his lip as a lump formed in his throat.

"Well..." Cappy said calmly, "That answers my previous question..."

Mario jammed him further onto his head, _"Shut up!"_

Rosalina pushed to the front of the group, her eyes glowing totally white as she hovered higher above the ground, **"This is your final warning. Leave my ship and my friends alone or I will force you to leave."**

"Well, I'm not leaving without those two!" Bowser glared up at her, not intimidated in the slightest, "If you don't like it, then I'm fighting my way to them!"

Mario gripped Luigi's hand as if afraid he might disappear again, taking staggering steps backward to avoid the cosmic light and fire that swirled around the two powerhouses ahead, and he wracked his brain for anything he could do to diffuse the situation.

_"Mario! Luigi!"_ Tiara hissed from her hiding spot behind Mario's shoulder, _"You can stop this, but not if you wait! Get between them!"_

Luma pushed them forward, and Mario forced his legs to unfreeze just in time to dart between Rosalina and Bowser, lifting his arms out to each of them as he yelled, "STOP!"

The magic dispersed. Rosalina stared at him in disbelief, but Mario didn't look at her. Instead, he looked up at Bowser, who backed off as he crossed his arms.

"Fine." Mario let his arms fall, "I get it. I'll go home if you stop harassing Rosalina and don't hurt any of her lumas. Luigi will go too. We'll fix things there and then come back."

Luigi ran to Mario's side, nodding vigorously.

"Good. Get on."

And with that, Bowser returned to the main airship, giving Junior a high-five as he passed by. Luigi boarded, and Mario looked back at Rosalina, who gazed at him sadly.

"We'll be alright." he saluted towards her, "Meet us at Peach's castle, and we'll go from there."

Rosalina touched down on the Observatory, "Stay safe."

"We will." Mario tipped Cappy in her direction before boarding the airship, and the two fleets parted ways.

***


	7. Chapter 7

Mario kicked his feet out as he leaned over the banister of the main deck, sitting on the edge with his arms over the railing and his legs between the posts holding the railing up. His mind was full of many different things, mostly confusing and conflicting, too loud to be coherent but not loud enough to drown out the sounds of Junior talking about his latest project while Bowser listened patiently.

Well, that was one coherent thought he had. If there was one thing Mario respected Bowser for, it was the way he cared for his son.

"Hey, bro." Luigi sat beside him, "Thanks for the help back there."

"No problem." Mario replied, "I'm a little shocked, though. You're not afraid of Bowser."

"No, I'm not, but there was something about that specific situation that scared me." Luigi shivered, "Anyway, about Rosalina. Were you hanging out with her like that the whole time this has been happening?"

"Hm?" Mario shrugged off-handedly, "Oh, uh, no, I...was too worried about you..."

Luigi sighed, "Bro..."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Mario rested his forehead on the railing, "I didn't even know for sure if you were still alive. I worried myself sick over it."

"Okay, that's understandable." Luigi gave him a side-hug, "But you worry about me too much, Mario."

"How can I not?" Mario lamented as he gazed out into outer space, "Need I remind you what happened the last time we were in space?"

"No, you don't need to remind me." Luigi pushed back on his shoulder to force him to turn towards himself, "But it's still a tad ridiculous that you keep doing this to yourself. When's the last time you did something without thinking about how I would scold you for it?"

Mario swallowed, and Luigi rolled his eyes.

"Uh..." Cappy tilted to the side, balancing on Mario's ear, "Do you wanna tell him, or should I?"

"Huh?" Luigi glanced up at him, "Tell me what?"

"Nothing." Mario pointedly looked away from him, "I just...kinda...threatened and insulted Bowser until he agreed to get me into space...?"

When Luigi didn't reply, he curiously looked up to see what Luigi might be feeling. His eyes were boring holes into the floorboards, a shadow over them as he sat frozen in cold shock.

"I'm sorry..." Luigi shook in silent anger, "You did _what?"_

He was taking this much worse than Mario expected.

"He..." Mario felt his own anger rise, "He wouldn't listen otherwise. Would you rather I let you perish in space?"

"Was there no other way? Why did you go to Bowser in the first place!?"

"Can you think of anyone else who could have done it!?"

"No, but there are plenty of people we could have borrowed airships from!"

"On such short notice!? Cappy said-!"

"Forget what Cappy said for a moment!" Luigi stood up, "Are you telling me that you're so overprotective that you would force Bowser to do what you wanted against his will because you were too stubborn to find someone else!? ANYONE else!? I can think of three people off the top of my head who would have been better choices!"

Something in Mario snapped hearing this. He stood to be on eye-level with Luigi as he grasped the collar of Luigi's turtleneck sweater, "I am not going to sit around waiting for repairs on a tiny airship that couldn't get me anywhere within a week if that! If I'd had to worry about you for that long, I would have actually lost it! I'm sorry if you feel babied, but you are everything to me, and I wanted to see you safe before I went crazy!"

He was sobbing at this point, big fat tears rolling down his face in waves as he gasped for breath, and Luigi wrapped him up in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry." Luigi cried, "I didn't even think of that. There I go again, forgetting everything you've been through. I'm so sorry."

"No, don't..." Mario coughed, taking a shaking breath of air, "Don't do that. You have every right to be upset with me. Just...I didn't know what else to do, and I was scared. Please don't hate me."

"I could never hate you, Mario. You're my brother." Luigi squeezed him, "It's okay. I'm here now."

_And thank god for that._ Mario thought bitterly, his head pounding as the spiraling thoughts accumulating into one last horrific inquiry.

_How many more scares until this ends for good?_

***

As Bowser touched down in the docking bay of his castle, Mario could see what he was talking about. Many groups of toads gathered in the courtyard of Bowser's castle, pushing back against the armed forces that guarded it.

As soon as the airship docked, Mario leapt to the ground, "Guys!"

"Mario!" Toadette was at the front of the line, "And Luigi!"

"Toadette!" Luigi caught her when she leapt at him, and he hugged her close as he regained his balance, "What are you doing!?"

"We're stopping Bowser!" Toadette said as she was put down, "I mean, every time something wonky happens, it's usually at least partially his fault!"

"Wait, so you remember Luigi now!?" Mario said.

"Yeah! You were right, Mario! I don't know how on Earth I could forget Luigi of all people! My head is spinning in circles just thinking about it..."

"But did anything actually..." Mario shook his head, "This isn't important right now! Bowser isn't responsible for this, and me and Luigi are fine! You guys need to get out of here!"

"You got it! Captain!?"

Captain Toad nodded, talking into a megaphone with his name scrawled into the side, "YOU HEARD THEM! MOVE OUT!"

The toads headed back the way they had come, and Mario waved the two treasure hunters over as he began to walk back towards Toad Town.

"Toadette, you're not usually one who would agree to such extreme measures so fast." Luigi told her, "What happened to make you so bold this time?"

"Well, we didn't know where you were, and I wouldn't dare ask Toadsworth for help while he's dealing with the king and queen." she replied, "Plus, I was kinda shocked that I didn't remember you for so long. Come to think of it, I don't remember anything I did yesterday or the day before. It's all a blur."

"It's the same with me." Captain Toad walked backwards to face them, "I was the one who decided to storm Bowser's castle. We were scared, and we couldn't find you. We don't have a lot of enemies, so it wasn't hard to narrow it down."

"That doesn't surprise me." Mario scratched his cheek, "Honestly, I'm proud of you guys for taking the initiative like that. You happened to be wrong about where we were and what happened, but imagine if you had been right. You could have saved us."

"Yeah. It's what..." Toadette stopped walking, "Oh, drat. I feel like I'm still forgetting something..."

Luigi pat her head, "It's what Peach would have wanted."

The four of them were silent for awhile until Luigi walked ahead and Toadette was forced to jog to keep up.

"Y-yeah, actually. That's what I was going to say." Toadette looked up at him, "Come to think of it, Mario mentioned someone named Peach earlier today. Who is she?"

Luigi nodded slowly, "She's our princess. _My_ princess." he stared at the ground, kicking a rock into the grass from the sidewalk, "She's supposed to be the daughter of the king and queen. She's also the love of my life."

"Yeah..." Mario picked up the pace, "Hey, before Rosalina gets here, let's see if we can find anything that belonged to her."

"Why?" Luigi ran beside him, "Is that how you found me?"

"Yeah. The hats weren't as affected by the space-bending, so Lucy still had a scrap of your old hat."

"But if Peach doesn't exist, then how do we find anything of hers?"

Mario didn't answer right away, just thinking about how to proceed, "I don't know, but we should look anyway."

The crowd of toads dispersed once back in Toad Town, and the group of heroes hurried towards the castle.

On their way in, Toadsworth, the royal advisor, stopped them in the throne room, "Hey, you lot should go."

Mario's shoes slid slightly on the polished marble floor, "What? Toadsworth, this is important! We need to-!"

"I don't care what business you have here!" Toadsworth slammed his cane into the floor, creating an audible _Tap!_ "The queen is not well right now. Whatever you're up to, surely it can wait!"

"But it _can't!"_ Luigi argued, "Please! We need to search the castle! It's a matter of life and death!"

Toadsworth swung his cane at Luigi, forcing him to stagger back to avoid the blow, "Look, young man! I don't know who in blazes you think you are, but no means no! We're already in disarray as it is!"

Luigi was about to speak again when Mario put an arm on his chest to force him back, "Toadsworth, why is the queen sick? Last I knew, she was fine."

"Why do you think, you nitwit? Use your head!" Toadsworth hit his own head with the cane, as if emphasizing his point, "The stork will not send her a child. Not even after all these years will he give her a single one. He keeps saying all these things in his letters that don't make sense, and she's getting more and more desperate. If she doesn't get an heir now, why, she may be too old for one soon!"

Mario tried to reach back. As far as he knew, Peach had not been a miracle birth. She just didn't have any siblings, which was fairly common. Many people simply didn't want more than one kid. In fact, Mario and Luigi being twins was almost an anomaly to the Mushroom Kingdom, even among people who had many siblings.

He finally made the connection. This was the result of Peach being deleted from existence.

Luigi seemed to have made the same connection, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get his voice to work. A few tears fell. He gasped as he covered his mouth. How frustrating! Of all the times to lose his voice-!

"We can fix this." Mario offered, "The king and queen are _supposed_ to have a child. We need to get her back. _Please,_ sir, you _must_ let us search the castle. You know you can trust me."

Toadsworth's expression hardened, but Mario didn't dare back down. Luigi looked between them, Captain Toad and Toadette holding their breath as the tension grew thick enough to cut with a knife.

Finally, Toadsworth sighed, "Fine. Just don't disturb the queen."

"We won't." Mario headed past him, and they continued into the castle to look for anything they could use to help them.

***


	8. Chapter 8

_"I know what I feel! Something is missing!"_

Mario paused outside the castle's main bedroom. The queen's voice was coming through from the other side as she sobbed. Luigi put his hand on the door, conflicting emotions flitting across his face.

"This is her room." Mario said softly, "Isn't it?"

Luigi retracted his hand, "It feels so...surreal to be here under such dire circumstances. I can't believe that the last time I was in this room... _I was planning my honeymoon..."_

The last sentence came out as a hush, and he covered his face as more tears began to fall.

"Ouch, dude." Cappy shuttered, "That's rough."

Tiara bumped into Luigi's shoulder, and he leaned into her for comfort.

Toadsworth had said to not disturb the queen, but they'd searched the rest of the castle with no sign of the princess, and they needed to find something if they had any hope of getting her back.

So, Mario tentatively knocked on the door, "Your majesty, can we come in?"

The queen was silent on the other side of the door, but eventually, the group heard her stand up and unlock it, swinging it open and returning to the bed to sulk.

Mario had never been in this room before, but Luigi certainly had, and he could tell that the discrepancies between what it was and what he expected was clearly distressing to him.

The queen eyed the green-clad hero and his clear nervousness, "Who might you be, young man?"

"U-umm..." Luigi scratched the back of his head, "I'm Luigi, Mario's brother. Uh...I was also supposed to be your daughter's husband."

The queen let her gaze fall, "I see." she fiddled with something in her hands, "I know I'm forgetting her. The stork keeps saying that I already have a daughter, had her for years, but somehow, the world isn't matching up with what I expect. I thought I was losing my mind."

Luigi looked at the thing she was holding. It was the blue stone that Peach had always worn on the bodice of her dress, "Hey, that's Peach's brooch."

The queen gazed at him sadly, "I thought as much. This brooch is mine. I always wanted to give it to my future child as a gift."

Mario watched the way the light gleamed off the stone, "Wait, would this count as one of Peach's belongings?"

"I think it should. She wears it every day." Luigi extended his hand to her, "Ma'am, we need this to get your daughter back. She does exist, we just need to find her."

The queen held the stone in an iron grip, "Will you promise you won't lose it?"

Mario gently touched her shoulder, "We wouldn't dream of it."

She held the stone for one more moment before placing it gently in Luigi's hand, "Very well. I trust you, young man. I'm not sure why, but I do. Bring her home for me."

Luigi nodded, "I promise. We'll get her back."

The group left the castle just as the humming of an engine could be heard in the distance, and the Comet Observatory touched down over the hill, being held up by its massive columns.

Mario jumped onto the landing, his entourage following close behind, and Rosalina was there, smiling as she held out her hand to them.

"Welcome back." she said, "I take it you had a productive visit?"

"Rosalina!" Mario hugged her, "It's good to see you again!"

He couldn't explain it, but he had really missed her, even though he hadn't been gone for very long. As he held her close, his head tucked underneath her chin, he noticed that she was really nice to hug. Her figure under her dress was surprisingly soft, and he found himself lingering with his arms around her, too comfortable to let go right away.

"Um, bro?"

Mario's eyes flew open and he jumped back, heat rising to his face as he averted his gaze, "Uh, sorry." he mumbled, though he wasn't sure what he was apologizing for.

"It's alright." Rosalina waved her hand dismissively, "Luigi, what are you holding?"

"Oh! This belongs to Peach!" he held the brooch out to her, "Mario said you could find her with it?"

She waved her wand over it, and it lifted into the air, shooting off into the distance, "Perfect. Hold on!"

The Observatory launched once again, and they sailed through the sky, leaving their home planet behind.

***

It took a long time to reach the next void, so in the meantime, the heroes tried to find ways to pass the time. Most notably, the hats were enthralled in a game of some kind. Whenever a round winner was announced, there were both cheers and exasperated groans which got worse as the game continued, especially as Tiara and Luma began to rack up points by the dozens.

Luigi took Mario to the side, "Hey, I hate to bring this up now, but when are you going to stop being so overprotective of me?"

Mario shrugged as he looked at the ground, "I don't know. Probably never."

Luigi sighed, "You know of course that you can't come with me on my honeymoon."

"I know."

"One day I'll have a kid to look after."

"I _know."_

"You can't control my life or look over my shoulder every moment of every day."

"Luigi, listen to me." Mario took Luigi's sleeve in his grip, "I can't control it. I've lost you too many times to simply let it go. What if you die while I'm not there to protect you? What do you suggest I do?"

"I don't know, but you need to stop holding onto me with such an iron grip."

Mario let go of him, and Luigi shook his head.

"I meant figuratively, bro."

"But how? Every time I get close, something happens to rip you away again."

Sensing his distress, Luigi put an arm around him, "I don't know, but it's gotten to a point where it's smothering. I love you, bro. I always will, and I appreciate that you're looking out for me, but try to take your mind off it for awhile, okay? I'd hate to see the stress snap you in two."

Luigi walked off to watch the progressively worsening game between the hats and lumas, and Mario mulled over his words as he headed off in another direction. He wasn't sure where he was going, but the Observatory was big enough that he knew he could find a quiet place to be alone while he thought.

He settled on the small platform that led to the gate. It was usually quiet there, as the gate just through the doorway was a peaceful place, so Mario lay on the small hill in the center of the platform, which was covered in flowers, as he gazed up at the cosmic expanse, which stretched infinitely in all directions. He closed his eyes as he listened to the sounds of the flying stars.

"You wanted an escape too?"

Mario cracked an eyelid open. Rosalina was standing beside him, looking down at him with an amused smile.

"Something like that." he closed his eyes again, "What, is it too noisy for the queen of the cosmos?"

"More like too competitive." Rosalina sat down, "It reminds me of my brother. He made everything into a game."

Mario looked up at her, "Is your brother still alive?"

"Yes, and so is my father. I don't see them often anymore, as you can imagine." Rosalina sighed heavily, "They don't seem to understand my dedication to the lumas. In their eyes, they should be able to take care of themselves."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"I know, but that's their opinion, I suppose." Rosalina readjusted the hem of her dress as she turned away from him, "Polari isn't bothered by it, at least. In fact, he agrees that lumas have more psychological needs than they have physical needs. Lumas are always healthier when they have a place to call home, and a loving family that they know is always there for them."

Mario smiled, "And you're happy to fill that role for them."

"Well, of course. If I wasn't, I would go back to Earth." she replied, "The Observatory is my home. The lumas are my family. If my father and brother don't understand that, then it isn't my problem."

Mario sat up to see her picking at her pink nail polish, "Do you ever wonder what your mother would think if she saw you today?"

Rosalina closed her eyes, her head bowed as she curled up into a ball, "Every day. We didn't even know anything was out here when she was alive. I like to think she'd be proud of me, but I can't know for sure if I can't see it for myself. If the rest of my family is any indication, she wouldn't be supportive at all, but I was also much closer to her than I was to anyone else. It keeps me up at night sometimes."

Mario leaned back on his hands, "Well, for the record, my mom is still alive, and I can tell you that I definitely surprised her with my lifestyle choices when I quit the family business so I could be free to fight Bowser whenever the need arose. At first, she was angry with me for doing something so impulsive and reckless, especially since it often put my life in danger, but I explained to her that Bowser was now a bigger threat than he'd ever been in the past, and if I didn't stop him from hurting people, who would? She still doesn't really get it, but my father was a hero too when he was younger, and he eventually convinced her that as long as I was happy, it didn't really matter how I spent my time."

Rosalina's soft smile returned, "Was Luigi in on this too?"

"It was actually his idea, if you can believe that." Mario rested his head in his hands, "I was doing contracting work in New Donk City at the time, but it was mind-numbing work, and I was no stranger to heroic stunts as I had already saved my friend Pauline when she was kidnapped by Donkey Kong. So when Luigi came to me with news that Princess Peach had been kidnapped by Bowser, I leapt at the chance to leave the work behind and save her. It wasn't crucial work anyway, and there were like seventeen other workers there who could do it fine without me. I haven't looked back since. I still do contracting work, but on my own terms. Luigi could tell you all about it, he's better at explaining it than me."

"I think I get the idea." Rosalina replied, "Even still. Running away from poor work to save someone's life isn't the same as running away from your family into outer space."

"But Rosalina, you _are_ saving lives! And you said it yourself! This _is_ your family!" Mario took her hand to make her look up at him, "If your mother were to see what impact you've had on the universe, well, how could she _not_ be proud? I know I'd be proud if it was my kid, and even if your father and your brother don't understand, maybe it's because they just haven't bothered to try. I know when I look at all that you've done, I'm beyond impressed. I never met your mother, so I can't say what she'd think of you, but you speak so fondly of her that I can't help but wonder how she could see all of this and not be supportive of you and her millions of grandchildren."

Rosalina laughed at that, "You do make a compelling argument. Although, I suppose I'll never know for sure."

"You don't have to." Mario hesitated before placing his hand on her cheek, "If she saw all of this and still turned you away, she wouldn't be worth holding onto. Has your mother been supportive of you in the past?"

"With everything." Rosalina said immediately, "She was the sun, the moon, and the stars to me. Always constant. Never changing. Even when I begged her to let me be an astronaut when I grew up, despite how impossible it seemed at the time, she tried to encourage me."

Mario smiled at her, "Then I guarantee she would be proud of you if she saw you today."

Rosalina rested her forehead against his, taking his hand in both of hers and kneading circles into it with her thumbs. Mario was so comfortable he could have fallen asleep standing up. His heartbeat slowed as he reached up to take her shoulder, tracing the neckline of her dress as it curved around her collarbone.

He could have stayed like that forever.

And yet...

Rosalina looked up when he began to shake. Tears were streaming down his face as he hung his head, his bangs hiding his eyes from view.

"Mario?" Rosalina lifted his head, but he kept his eyes squeezed shut, "What's wrong?"

He inhaled, long and slow, "Never in my life have I been with someone that makes me feel so... _broken..."_

Her eyes widened, "I beg your pardon?"

"Why?" he choked out as he sobbed, "I feel like I should be feeling something, anything! But there's nothing there!"

"What are you talking about?" she stroked his forehead, "Mario, is this about...?"

"It doesn't matter how much I want it..." Mario covered his face, "I love spending time with you and talking to you and holding you, but no matter how close I get to you, I will never be in love!"

Without another word, Rosalina wrapped him up in a huge hug, and he reciprocated with all his might.

She let him cry for a bit, just letting him vent his frustration before his cries died down and she whispered to him, "Does this make you happy?"

He sniffed, pushing back to look at her, "What?"

"Does this make you happy?" she repeated, "Being with me. Talking to me. Does it make you happy?"

He sighed, "Yes..."

"Then why does it matter?"

"I don't know, it..." Mario raked a hand through his hair, "Honestly, it never bothered me until now. When Luigi and I were young, he would fall in love very easily. He always had a new crush. By contrast, I only had people I wanted to befriend. The fact that Luigi could feel something deeper for other people didn't bother me. After all, how can you miss something you've never had? But somehow, every time I see Luigi and Peach together now, I can't help the tiny part of me that feels like something is missing."

"But there _isn't."_ Rosalina forced him to look up at her, "Think about it. Does it really matter what you feel as long as you're happy?"

Mario cast his gaze across the various lumas that were still gathered below, "I guess not."

"Then don't let it bother you." Rosalina put a finger to his lips when he tried to protest, "No, let me speak. Do you think it matters to me what you can't feel? Because it doesn't. As long as you're there for me, as long as you love me in your own way, it does not matter."

Mario stared at her, then he grabbed her in another huge hug, "You mean that? It doesn't bother you?"

"No." she held him close, "Truth be told, I have only been in love twice in my whole life. The first time, it was with my brother's girlfriend. He wasn't too happy about that, as you can imagine."

Mario chuckled as he let his hand trail down her arm to hold her hand, "Who was the second person?"

She brushed a hair behind his ear, "Who do you think? It's you."

He was quiet. He didn't know what to say.

"I know what it's like to not be able to fall in love, even when you think you should." she continued, "So I understand. If you feel it would be better for us to stay apart, then I will respect that, but I want you to make that choice based on what you want, not just what you think would be best for me."

Mario thought about that answer, then he brushed her bangs back from her face so both her eyes were visible, letting his palm rest against her brow. She held it against her cheek, leaning into it so she could place a kiss to his hand.

It was odd. He enjoyed these moments of intimacy, where they quietly existed together and talked and laughed and everything that he probably could contribute to things couples do, and yet the love he felt for her wasn't any different than the love he had for any of his other friends, including Peach, and to an extent, Luigi as well. It was almost as if...she was just a close friend that he did romantic things with. He wasn't against the idea, in fact it made a lot of sense in theory, but he still felt something was just a little off.

Running his thumb over her temple, he gazed up at her as he asked softly, "Are you sure this is okay?"

She smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling with magic, "Yes."

Leaning closer to Rosalina, he tilted his head and pressed his lips to hers. He sat up on his knees as she wrapped her arms around his torso to hold him firmly against herself. Once they broke away, Mario let his head fall onto her shoulder, his face flushed from his nervousness.

He laughed low under his breath, "That was nice."

"Yeah." Rosalina tucked him against her side, giving him a hearty squeeze, "Do you still feel broken?"

"Not even close." Mario held her around her waist, "This is better than I could have imagined."

She kissed the top of his head, "I'm glad."

He relaxed against her, practically melting into her embrace. He could feel her magic resonating in her core, reacting to his own in a flurry of fire and stardust that warmed him like a campfire in the dead of night. He rested his head in the crook of her arm, and she smelled like fireworks.

He closed his eyes, just taking a moment to soak it all in.

"Miss!"

Rosalina jumped to her feet as Polari appeared, gasping for breath as he held up her wand.

"We're here!" he said, "We've made it to the princess!"

***


	9. Chapter 9

The void in front of them stretched even farther than the last one. Rather than making any sound at all, it was completely silent, swallowing up the very fabric of existence itself in its size and power. Peach's brooch disappeared into it, and Luigi was quaking as he pointed up at it with a shaking arm.

"H-hey, uh..." Luigi backed away, reaching for Mario's hand, "Don't tell me I was in something like that when I was missing..."

Mario shook his head, "It wasn't quite like this before..."

"It's not safe to enter that." Rosalina lifted her wand, "We'll need to get Peach to come out to us."

Luigi's teeth chattered, "How do we do that?"

"Just stay here." she twirled her wand, "I'll see if I can-!"

"No! I can't just..." Luigi shivered, "I can't lose her! Not now! Now when I'm so close-!"

**"You cannot go into that void!"** Rosalina tried to grab him, **"Luigi, do you hear me!? Do not leave the Observatory!"**

He didn't seem to hear at all. He had eyes only for the void.

"Luigi!" Mario tugged on his arm, "Luigi, listen to me!"

"No!" Luigi broke away from his hold, "I can't do this anymore!"

"Luigi, NO!"

Luigi jumped as high as he could possibly jump, which was very high. Mario didn't think, he just reacted. He saw his brother falling into the void, and all he knew next was that his arm had disappeared into the darkness.

His senses dulled, and he could feel his whole body growing heavy and sluggish. There wasn't even any ringing in his ears. There was just nothing. Nothing but the endless darkness and the mind-numbing silence.

He tried to speak, but no sound came out. He tried to orient himself, hoping to at least figure out which direction was down, but there was no down. Not anymore. He wasn't falling, he was floating. No matter which direction he faced, he always felt that he was oriented the same way. He couldn't even tell which direction he'd entered the void from.

He began to feel himself growing incredibly tired, but he forced his eyes to stay open as a figure emerged from the darkness. It was a cosmic mass, dark blue in color and speckled with white flecks that resembled stars. The figure mirrored Mario's appearance, from the round face and large nose to the stocky torso, arms, and legs.

Gravity set in, and Mario just managed to land on his feet, "Cosmic Mario."

Cosmic waved his arms, beckoning him forward mockingly as he laughed in that familiar high-pitched voice. Mario lifted his fists, prepared for a fight.

"I don't trust you." Mario said, "What do you want? You want another race? You want a fight? Where's my brother? Where's the princess?"

Cosmic shook his head, beckoning him forward again, but this time, he walked towards him until he was right in front of him, then he held his hand out, palm-up. He stayed this way as Mario looked at the apparent invitation, then up at the being's face where his eyes would be.

Mario was growing increasingly on-edge as the interaction continued, "What are you saying?"

Cosmic only laughed softly, his hand gesturing subtly to him, still open for Mario to take.

Mario crossed his arms, "You want me to come with you?"

Cosmic nodded.

Mario glared at him. Was he in control of this void? He knew that Cosmic had weird space-bending abilities, in fact after their first race, it became clear that Cosmic could just grab any star he wanted at any time and he was giving Mario a fair chance on purpose. Cosmic's motives always escaped him. They had no rhyme or reason beyond causing chaos, and his comets were always a huge headache no matter how many times he encountered them.

So why was he here, now of all times, asking for permission before dragging him further into the void? To mess with him? To throw him off his game?

Realizing he wouldn't get anywhere just sitting around in this place _(if you could call it that),_ he finally said, "If I go with you, will you give my friends back?"

Cosmic laughed again, coming off as incredibly evil as he did so, and then he nodded.

So, before he could think about how much he would regret it, Mario took Cosmic's hand, and he immediately yanked him through the void, causing his head to fill with static. Cosmic was squeezing his hand too hard, and it hurt. The head-underwater feeling didn't let up until Cosmic slowed down, and the void dissolved, replaced by wide-open space. They touched down on the gate, a tiny planet that separated the world as Mario knew it from the wide open expanse of near-empty space.

He could never forget this place. It was where he had landed the time when Bowser kidnapped Peach and taken her to the center of the universe. It was also where he first met Luma and Rosalina.

Cosmic pointed ahead, still holding his hand, and Mario followed where he was pointing. The large castle-like structure on the gate was there, but there was nothing else. No lumas, no Rosalina, no Peach or Luigi. Just the gate existing by itself in endless empty space.

Mario separated from him as he climbed the stairs. He always had a sense of wistfulness returning to the gate, but now, being here after what transpired in the past hour or so...it made him feel cold and hollow inside.

_"My name is Rosalina. I watch over and protect the cosmos."_ she had said the first time they met face-to-face, _"My lumas have told me all about you. That monster took your special one, and now you need to get her back."_

_"You know about me?"_ he'd said, _"Can you take me to Bowser!?"_

_"I'm afraid I cannot. He attacked my ship and took all my power stars."_

_"I can get them back! I'm no stranger to power stars!"_

Mario leaned on the banister of the structure, looking out into empty space as he reminisced.

_"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't believe I got your name."_

_"That's okay."_ Luigi had said, ever the chatterbox, _"I'm Luigi, and this is my brother Mario!"_

_"Well, it's nice to meet you both."_

Mario remembered the way Rosalina kept to herself, her interactions with him short as he left to grab star after star.

_"The lumas will be okay, now. Thank goodness."_

_"He hurt my family. They are everything to me."_

_"You have my sincerest gratitude. What you've done cannot be repaid."_

Mario clenched his hands into tight fists. A long time ago. A timeline long since forgotten. Mario's hands were burned from his own magic, his overalls stained with blood. He cradled Luigi's still form close to himself, drained of tears but still finding a way to shake with ever more desperate sobs.

In that moment, Rosalina's arms had wrapped around him, and she spoke in her soft, motherly way.

_"They are not dead. Luigi is not dead. Not yet. Come with me, and I will fix this for you."_

It was like she tried to personally mend his broken heart, despite what he had done just minutes prior.

Mario angrily turned to Cosmic, trying to hold back his tears, "Why did you bring me here? Is it your one mission in life to torment me!?"

Cosmic didn't answer, but he did put a finger to his lips, or where his lips would be. He didn't really have physical characteristics aside from his general shape.

Mario squeezed his eyes shut. How could he have been so stupid? All this time, and he had his answer for years. Was he so lost in cognitive dissonance that he couldn't see the solution right in front of his face?

He didn't need a partner, of course not, but in his fear for Luigi's safety, he had been unknowingly pushing people away, even his close friends and family, and relying solely on Luigi for his own peace of mind. He didn't know how else to cope. That was why he broke down when he realized Luigi was gone, and why he improved so much when Luigi was back, even though Peach was still missing. He couldn't be away without seeing Luigi's bloody corpse on the back of his eyelids.

He loved Luigi, but what he had been doing was only a temporary solution. Being stuck to his side all the time was not helping him heal, it just made him more terrified of what might happen if his brother was taken away. No wonder Luigi felt so smothered.

What he needed wasn't more time with Luigi; It was more access to other people. He needed comfort that Luigi simply couldn't provide. He needed to reconnect with all the people he cared about and stop using just one of them as a crutch. He needed to let go of his fear, and trust that Luigi could take care of himself.

And in these dire moments when he thought Luigi was lost...Rosalina was there for him. She was one of the friends that he needed. When Mario was with Rosalina, he managed to completely forget about Luigi. He simply didn't enter his mind, and Luigi knew that. No wonder he was so happy to see him bonding with her; He had seen the way they resonated with each other even before Mario had.

"Who are you, anyway?" Mario's voice cracked, "Are you responsible for all of this? Did you take them away?"

Cosmic shrugged, pretending to yawn.

"Cut that out." Mario said, "Stop all this madness! Did you ruin the wedding!? Why!? What purpose did it serve!? _What do you want!?"_

"Hush."

He quieted. Cosmic had spoken in that high-pitched voice.

"I did a job." he said, "That's all."

And then he was gone without another word.

As Mario stood on the gate, watching the spot where Cosmic had disappeared, he realized that he had no way to get home. The gate was far away from where they'd found the vortex, and Mario had no way to tell Rosalina or anyone else where he was. Not only that, but there were no lumas around either, and even if he had the ability to spin, there were no launch stars nearby.

He cried out in frustration, falling backwards so he was lying on the floor. Great. Cosmic's nefarious plan to drop him lightyears away from his friends, and he didn't even know if they were okay! What was he going to do?

Was this even real?

He sat up. The void had really disoriented him, but the ground felt solid, and he didn't think he was dreaming. Still, Cosmic was unpredictable. He always had been. Mario was just as likely to be unconscious in that void as he was to actually be on the gate right now, but he didn't know how he could verify which it was.

Getting an idea, Mario stood up, gathered a fireball in one hand, and threw it as hard as he could into the sky. It sailed off into the distance. If he was really on the gate, that fireball would simply get smaller and smaller until it was too far away to see.

That's not what happened.

The fireball receded away, but then it appeared to grow bigger overtime. Mario reached for the fire. The sky was burning like paper. It confirmed to him that none of this was real.

Gravity let up as he tore through the sky, and he emerged back in the void. Even though darkness surrounded him on all sides, he could see objects against it like a studio light against a black backdrop. The first thing he saw was Luigi, flailing his arms out to try and find some sense of direction. Mario grabbed his hand before he registered that he wasn't alone.

"Mario!" Luigi pulled him into a hug, "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"Right back at'cha, bro." Mario looked all around them, "Did you see Peach?"

"No." Luigi's head hung, "I'm such an idiot. I don't know what to do. What if we're trapped here forever?"

"We won't be." Mario surrounded them with his fire, "We're getting out of here. Come on. Focus."

The icy blue bled into Luigi's irises, "Okay."

Reaching out together, fire and ice collided, and the darkness grew less suffocating overtime.

Cosmic appeared through a rip in the void, mockingly wiggling his fingers by the sides of his head before disappearing again. Mario didn't bother to question it, reaching for the tear as the magic intensified, and the world dissolved before snapping into focus-!

"I declare you husband and wife!"

Mario blinked. Luigi looked at him. They were back at the wedding, as if nothing had happened in the first place.

"Luigi?"

Luigi looked up at Officiator Toad, mouth agape, afraid that what he was seeing was too good to be true.

"You may kiss the bride."

Luigi choked as Peach leaned towards him, and he threw his arms around her neck to kiss her with everything he had. The crowd in the pews began to cheer, and Mario placed a hand over his racing heart as he attempted to steady it.

Luigi broke away from Peach as tears streamed down his face.

"Luigi?" Peach wiped a tear away with her thumb, "What's wrong, Love?"

Luigi shook his head, _"Nothing. I'm just so happy."_

It wasn't a total lie, at least.

"Wonderful! Simply Marvelous!" Toadsworth took Officiator Toad's place on the altar, a pillow in his hands with two crowns atop it; One in silver adorned with sapphires, and the other in gold gilded with rubies, "And now for the final step in this union."

He set the pillow down, taking Tiara from Peach's head to replace her with the gold crown. He took his cane, tapping each of her shoulders with it, before he twirled it and she turned to face the crowd.

"My fellow distinguished guests..." Toadsworth announced, "It is my honor to present to you; Queen Peach of The Mushroom Kingdom!"

The cheers rang out again, and Peach took Luigi's hands in her own, "Are you ready?"

Luigi let his mouth hang open for a moment, "Promise nothing will change?"

She smiled at him, "Not unless you want it to, Love."

Luigi took a deep breath, facing Toadsworth as he took Cappy away and placed the silver crown on his head. He tapped Luigi's shoulders with his cane and gestured for Luigi to turn towards the crowd. He tried to stand up tall as Toadsworth spoke once again.

"My fellow distinguished guests, it is my honor to present to you; King-Consort Luigi of The Mushroom Kingdom!"

The crowd cheered, and Luigi let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Congratulations, Luigi!" Peach kissed his forehead, _"Ee!_ I'm so happy! I love you so much!"

"I love you too." Luigi hugged her tight, "I love you so much."

As the wedding wrapped up and the reception started, Mario found himself wandering from the party to gaze up at the sky.

He felt his heart drop into his shoes. His best friend, the closest he could get to true love, and she was probably on the other side of the universe right now. Even though she likely remembered everything, there was no reason to assume she knew where he was.

Mario glanced back at the party to see Luigi and Peach dancing under the fairy lights strung up in the trees, and though he was happy for them as he always had been, it made him feel empty.

"Are you out there?" he said to himself, kicking at the grass with his white dress shoe, "Do you know where I am? If you're the queen of the cosmos, can you hear me? Do you know when I wish for you to be here with me?"

He got no answer. He ran a hand through his hair, his mind wandering back to Cosmic. He said he had done a job. What did that mean? Did he do that for someone else? Were they still in danger?

"Please." Mario let his hand rest on his face as he resisted the urge to cry, "Please say you remember. I miss you. I want you to be here. _Please."_

He couldn't stop the tears that fell from his face onto the front of his button-up shirt. He wasn't expecting it to hurt this much.

What could he do now?

He wallowed in his silent misery until he heard the sound of the distant humming of an engine.

A dot in the sky descended upon him until the Observatory landed some distance away, and a spark of light shot towards him like a comet. Mario had already broken into a run by the time the light dispersed, and Rosalina emerged from it as he threw himself at her. She caught him, holding him close to her chest as she twirled in the air, her skirt billowing out around her as she floated above the ground on her tiptoes.

"Rosalina!" Mario kissed her cheek, "You're here!"

"Of course!" she squeezed him one more time before setting him down, "You scared me to death! Don't ever do that again!"

The lumas surrounded him, chatting in their shimmering voices as he laughed. He saw Rosalina stare at the ground, giving a sigh as she rubbed her arm.

"I'm sorry." Mario took her hand, "I didn't mean to scare you. I just...Luigi..."

"You really love your brother, huh?"

"Enough to follow him into a black hole, yes." Mario glanced back at the party several blocks away, "Hey, I'm really sorry I was oblivious to how you felt for so long. I guess I just didn't want to...disappoint you? Like, maybe I wouldn't be good enough? I've felt like that with all my past partners."

"Hey, it's alright." she brushed his bangs out of his face, "You look very handsome, by the way."

"Oh, yeah. Thank you." Mario cleared his throat, "The reception is still going on."

"Won't Luigi be concerned to see you left suddenly?"

"I doubt he will once he sees the Observatory."

"Bro!"

Mario looked over his shoulder, "Speak of the devil!"

"Rosalina!" Luigi lifted his hand for a high-five, "It's incredible! Everything reset! And I...I'm married! _I'm a married man!"_

"That's wonderful!" Rosalina clasped her hands, "But what happened?"

"That's what I wanna know." Luigi replied, "Mario, did you see anything?"

Mario thought about it for a moment, "Cosmic was there."

"Oh, _that_ creep?" Peach appeared behind Luigi, "What was _he_ doing there?"

"Well..." Mario shrugged helplessly, "He helped me."

Luigi's brow lifted, "Cosmic helped you?"

"Yeah. It was so weird. He caused this mess to begin with, but..." Mario shook his head, "Somehow, he made me see what I was missing. Rosalina wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

"Wait, so..." Luigi nudged him, "You and Rosalina..."

"Are a thing now, yes." Mario rolled his eyes, "You were right, Luigi."

"Huh? What was that, bro?"

_"You were right!"_

"Woo! I knew it!" Luigi danced in place, "Told ya!"

"Yeah yeah, don't push it." Mario pushed him, "Still. I don't think this is over. Not by a long shot."

Luigi's face shadowed over, then he shook himself off, "Let's not think about that right now. The party is wrapping up. You know what that means, bro."

Mario bobbed his head, "It's time to part ways."

Luigi looked at him, then back at Peach.

"Bro..." he took Mario's shoulders in a firm grip, "I know you're perfectly happy being overprotective and all, but you could never do that forever. It's time to let me go."

With a heavy heart, Mario gazed sadly at him, thinking of all the ways he'd lost him and how much it might hurt to lose him one last time. 

Not necessarily in a physical sense, either. If he kept going like this, Luigi might decide he couldn't take it anymore.

That would hurt so much worse.

"No, Luigi." he said softly, "I'm not happy like that. I've been working on it, but the truth is, as much as the thought of your death scares me, I was always more afraid that I was smothering you. I used to say it didn't bother me if you hated me as long as you were safe, but now I feel like it was just an excuse. I mean this, Luigi, so believe me when I say that I'm sorry."

Luigi sighed, letting go of Mario to cover his mouth as tears gathered in his eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Luigi lifted Mario's chin to look at him, "I understand. Ever since you told me about the timeline thing, I've been kind of overprotective of you too. It was the first time I saw you on a truly human level, like it didn't fully set in that we aren't an older and younger brother; We're twins. Always have been. Maybe it's about time we spent time apart. And Mario, for the record, there is _nothing_ you can do to make me hate you. Okay? I've said it before, but even if you acted like the worst helicopter parent of all time, you can't make me hate you. I promise."

Luigi took his hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"You're my brother, Mario." a tear fell as he said it, "I love you."

Mario felt his own tears falling as he gave Luigi a massive hug. They stayed like that, holding on like their lives depended on it while star bits cascaded down from the sky in the presence of the Observatory. People flocked to the scene, confused at the sudden appearance of the shooting stars, only to see the brothers lost in their little moment.

Rosalina and Peach shot each other knowing smiles, and Peach shook Luigi's shoulder.

"Luigi, Love." she carefully broke them apart, "It's time to go."

"Right." Luigi laughed, wiping his tears away, "This is harder than I thought it would be."

"No kidding." Mario brushed his shirt down, "How long will your honeymoon last?"

"For me, it'll be about three weeks." Luigi glanced up at Rosalina, "For you though, who knows how long it'll last?"

"Hey!" Mario couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as he feigned hitting him, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Ah! Calm down, bro! I'm only teasing!" Luigi blocked him, "I meant the space-bending thing. That's all."

"Oh, so you weren't trying to imply that..." Mario's smile fell, "Wait, what do you mean space-bending?"

Luigi gave him a blank stare.

"Seriously, bro?" he crossed his arms, "You weren't going to spend all that time just sitting around at home, were you?"

Mario glanced away, a blush on his face, "Uhhh...I mean..."

"Polterpup is with Gooigi right now, so the house will be empty." Luigi politely reminded with a nudge, "I gotta be honest, I don't feel great leaving you alone like that for so long."

"I know, but it's not like I can..." his eyes snapped wide open as he glanced over his shoulder, where a crowd of lumas had gathered around Rosalina.

Luigi smiled, "Go on, bro. I'm sure she would love to have you."

Rosalina put an arm around him, holding him close to her side, "Would you like to spend three weeks with me in space?"

Mario was frozen in shock for a moment before he began to slowly nod, "You know what? Yes I would! I'm not getting any younger! I would love to!" he paused, turning back to Luigi, "That means we'll be pretty far apart from each other, bro."

"Yeah. It does." Luigi rolled his shoulders, "But maybe that's what we need."

So, Mario boarded the Observatory, standing on the landing deck as Rosalina put it into drive mode, and the lumas surrounded him while he waved.

"Bye, Mario!" Luigi called up to him.

"Bye, Luigi!" he yelled over the noise of the engine, "Have fun on your honeymoon!"

"Thanks! You too!"

"Ugh! Luigi!"

"Sorry, bro! Couldn't help myself! See you in three weeks!"

"Bye!"

"Buh-bye!"

_"Addio!"_

_"Addio!"_

_"Ciao!"_

They kept calling out to each other until the Observatory was well into the sky, and the planet slowly began to recede until it was a blue marble on a black starry background.

Mario's arm fell as he frowned. He missed him already.

Rosalina wrapped her arms around him from behind, and he held onto them, "So...what should we do first on our little vacation?"

Mario's smile returned as he turned his head towards her, "Show me how to make that lasagna you made the other day?"

The lumas broke out in a chorus of, _"Yay! More food!" " Can't wait!" "They're cooking again!" "Let's go!"_ and other similar things.

Rosalina took his hand to lead him there, the patient smile never leaving her face.

"Of course." she told him, "I'd be happy to."

_**End of Part 1** _


	10. Chapter 10

_**Part 2** _

The black-clad figure stared at Cosmic Mario, who lazily lounged on the windowsill as he looked on in disapproval.

"So." the figure's face twisted into a scowl, "You stopped the wedding."

"I did." Cosmic made himself comfortable, "Aw, what's with that face? Isn't that what you wanted?"

"You weren't supposed to fix it!" he raged, "You were supposed to let me handle it after!"

"Oh, well I can't read your mind." Cosmic drawled, knowing that the figure wouldn't believe his lie in the slightest, "If that's what you wanted, you should have said so."

"It was obvious what I wanted!" the figure slammed his hands on the table, "I thought you hated Mario!"

"Nah, I just think he's fun to mess with." Cosmic waved at him mockingly, "But guess what? You're _way_ more fun to mess with than him! In fact, I hope Luigi _gets_ his happy ending if it bothers you this much!"

"He _will_ have his happy ending." the figure stroked his sparse beard, "Just not with that pitiful excuse of a princess."

"Queen."

"What?"

"She's married now." Cosmic reminded, "Married to Luigi, might I add."

"Enough! Get out of my sight, and don't come back!"

Cosmic cackled hysterically, gesturing like he was pulling an eyelid down before he vanished as if this was the funniest thing he'd ever seen.

The figure smoothed back his bright silver hair as he left the room, gathering cosmic magic in one hand as he formulated a plan around his relatively limited power, at least compared to Cosmic.

"I should've known. You want something done, you must do it yourself."

***

Mario blearily blinked up at the ceiling. No sun meant no sense of time, but based on the drowsy lumas that floated around the room, just waking up, he guessed it was probably morning. He tried to remember what he was doing last night as he reached for his hat, remembered he didn't have it, and then readjusted his pajama shirt as it had twisted around him overnight.

Oh yeah, he was dozing off in the library when Rosalina found him. He insisted he was comfortable where he was, as he had slept there the previous few nights as well, but Rosalina asked if he would rather sleep in a bed. Her bed was a king size, so it was plenty big enough for the both of them, she reasoned. After thinking about it and making sure she didn't mind, he said yes. So, there he was, waking up the next morning to the canopy over her bed and the purple wallpaper, as well as all the sleepy lumas who drifted in and out all night. It was the best sleep he'd had this entire trip.

He rolled over to face Rosalina, who faced the wall away from him. She was wearing a white tank top and blue fleece pajama pants. He traced the curve of her back with his gaze before reaching forward to hug her around her waist.

She turned towards him, rolling over to return the hug, "Good morning. How did you sleep?"

Mario relaxed against the pillow, "Great. I almost don't want to leave."

"We don't have to right away." she replied, "We can stay a bit longer. The lumas certainly look like they would love to sleep in."

As if to demonstrate her point, Polari drifted into the room and immediately face-planted on the floor, a soft snore escaping him.

"You're right." he lay back to stretch and yawn, "I'm used to waking up early for work."

"Well, don't worry about that now." Rosalina lay her arm over him as she rolled onto her stomach, "It's not like we have anywhere to be."

She was right. He closed his eyes, listening to the sparkling sounds the lumas always made as they slowly woke up and began to chatter amongst themselves. Luma nudged Mario's forehead, ruffling his bangs, and Mario shook him off, shimmying closer to Rosalina under the duvet and hoping it was enough for him to get the hint.

Luma cried out in annoyance, nudging him more incessantly this time.

"Ugh!" Mario sat up, "What do you want?"

Luma put his tiny hands on his hips as he glared, gesturing to the door with his eyes.

"Miss!" Polari flew in to shake her awake, "Miss Rosalina! You must see this!"

"Polari..." Rosalina brushed her bedhead out of her eyes as she sat up, "Can't you ever let me sleep in?"

"This is important! Come and see!" he flew around her head before leaving, and Mario and Rosalina looked at each other.

"Aw." Rosalina ruffled Mario's messy hair, "How cute!"

Mario laughed as he pushed her hand away, "You're one to talk. Your hair makes you look like a blonde sea urchin."

"Thank you. I try."

He climbed out of the bed, shivering when his bare feet hit the cold rug, and Rosalina got up after him. The room was devoid of lumas by now, so the two of them curiously followed the sparkles outside.

Mario squinted against the sudden blinding light. The Earth below them was illuminated by the sunrise on the horizon. They were close enough to the planet that the horizon was flat, and the sky was just beginning to turn blue. Some stars were still visible, but the sunlight bleeding into the ocean definitely took center stage.

Mario's jaw dropped. He glanced up at Rosalina, who's eyes were sparkling as the scene was reflected in them.

Polari chuckled, "See? I told you!"

Luma crossed his arms, nodding smugly.

Mario walked to the edge of the platform, looking down at the swirling clouds below. It was dizzying being so high up. Having such a large planet beneath him really put into perspective how much distance the Observatory had on everything in space when it was in flight.

"We're back home." he said.

"Yeah." Rosalina sat on the edge, her feet dangling off the side, "I always end up back here somehow. Maybe the Observatory knows that it was once my home."

He sat beside her, squeezing his eyes shut as he yawned, "Do you like exploring the universe, or you just do it for the lumas?"

Rosalina slouched forward as she gripped the edge on either side of her, "That's a good question. I don't dislike it, and the places I see are wonderful, but sometimes I envy people who never see a different sky."

Mario placed his hand over hers, "You know, I used to think of you every time I looked at the sky. I always hoped you were doing well."

"Used to?" she smiled, "Not anymore?"

"Well, not recently." Mario said, "Because you're not in my sky anymore. You're here beside me."

She nodded, "That's true. You know, what you said just now sounded poetic."

"Did it? Nah. I'm just stating facts." Mario gazed down at the planet beneath them, "How long has it been now?"

"A little over a week, if Polari is to be believed. Why?"

"Dunno. Just wondering." Mario rested his head in his hands as he kicked his feet out, "I wonder how Luigi is doing."

The lumas quieted upon hearing the name. Rosalina reached out to touch his arm.

"You haven't mentioned him for three days."

Mario snorted out a laugh, "Really? I'm shocked! In all honesty though, he doesn't ever _really_ leave my mind. Not for long. I can't help it. This is the first time we've been separated for so long. We've always lived under the same roof in some way. In fact, whenever we go to hotels, we insist on having either the same room or rooms right next to each other. I think people are even shocked sometimes by just how much we act like twins."

Rosalina wrapped an arm around him, "I think that's very wholesome. Most people don't have great relationships with their siblings."

"There's no way that's true." Mario crossed his arms, "Toadette has like four brothers, and they're all very close."

"I mean among humans, silly." Rosalina looked up, where the sun was already high in the sky thanks to their orbit, "Especially twins. Usually they try to dress and act differently to distance themselves from the other, but you and Luigi seem to make an effort to look similar and dress similarly. You chose similar occupations, you still live under the same roof with him, and you both have the same general circle of friends. Sure, you act like twins, but the reason people are shocked is because nobody actually acts like twins."

"Really? I thought it was those rumors that I hated Luigi and he resented me for it."

Rosalina gave him a puzzled look, "What? Who said that?"

"Stupid people who don't know me." Mario rolled his eyes, "To be honest, we _tried_ to be different from each other, but it never really felt right because we were both sacrificing parts of ourselves in order to make it work. We just happen to be similar people, and there's nothing wrong with that." he yawned again, longer this time, into the back of his hand, "Don't you have a brother yourself? Weren't you close to him growing up?"

"Kind of. It's complicated." she stood up, "Here, you're nodding off. Let's go back inside."

"Right." he followed her back into the bedroom, "You wanna go first?"

"No, you can go." Rosalina flopped onto the bed, "I'm sleeping in."

So Mario grabbed a change of clothes from his suitcase and headed into the bathroom to shower and get dressed. He lingered in front of the mirror to comb his hair and smooth his moustache, then he headed back out to the library to grab his hat from where he'd been dozing the previous night. By the time he returned, Rosalina was in the shower, but he did see that she'd pulled a box down from the shelves, which was stuffed with photos and old keepsakes.

He didn't feel right going through her things while she was away, but she had left these out just now, and he was curious, so he knelt down to take the photo off the top of the stack. It was a picture of a small house at the base of a hill, the tree on the top of the hill overlooking it. It looked like it had been taken recently.

He must have lost track of time looking at it, because before he knew it, Rosalina had taken the hand that held the photo, her thumb over the border on the polaroid. He didn't look up at her. He just stared at her hand while he tried to think of something to say.

"This is the house I grew up in."

"I could guess that much." he said, "And this tree...?"

"Is where my mother is buried, yes." she took the photo from him, "We used to spend every night under that tree. I would take my father's telescope and make maps of the stars. I would draw them out for hours, and I even taped big pieces of paper together when I wanted a bigger map. These drawings were all over my room. In fact, it was under these circumstances that I met Luma."

Sensing his upcoming question, Rosalina took his hand and gently squeezed it, which prompted him to shut his mouth.

"No, it's not the same Luma that travelled with you in the past. The Luma in my storybook is now the comet in the center of the Observatory. He's the one who flies us through the universe every time I start the engine, and he's the one who puts you back on the Observatory every time you fall off the edge."

"Or jump." Polari added.

"Or jump." Rosalina laughed, "Heaven knows why you and Luigi always did that."

"Of course we did. We were twenty six-year-old men, did you really expect us to not be reckless knowing we had such a safety net?" Mario's smile fell, "Are you sad to see them go?"

"The lumas?" Rosalina put the photo down, "Well, of course. Saying goodbye is always hard, but it's not like I'll never see them again, and I know I did my best taking care of them and making sure they leave with happy memories."

Mario glanced into the box beside them, "So, your brother..."

"Right." Rosalina dug through the box for more photos, "This is an old one."

The photo was a simple portrait shot of four people. The youngest wore a simple sleeveless dress and had strawberry blonde hair, just like the girl in Rosalina's picture book. The second youngest wore a t-shirt and had platinum blond hair, cut short into messy curls. The last two looked much older. One of them had dirty blond hair with a moustache, and the last looked almost exactly like Rosalina, but with messier hair, pink lipstick, and big blue earrings.

Mario pointed at the last one, "This is..."

"My mother." Rosalina gazed fondly at the photo, "The resemblance is striking, isn't it? We look incredibly similar."

"No kidding." Mario chuckled as he shifted on his knees, "Is this one you? Your hair is almost orange!"

"Yes, I was strawberry blonde when I was little. My hair color changed overtime. Not sure why." she tapped her cheek, "I was maybe twelve in this picture. This is my brother, I think here he's sixteen or seventeen, and this is my father."

"Nice moustache." Mario remarked.

"It's a beard now." she put the photo back in the box, "I was fourteen when my mother passed away. My brother and I had been fairly close for most of our lives, but after that, he immersed himself in his schoolwork, and I almost never saw him. My father too spent a long time mourning her death. I didn't really notice, though. I had taken it the hardest. I couldn't seem to grasp that I would never see my mother again. I spent every waking hour studying the sky, overcome with a strong desire to run away to the stars, as if I would find her waiting there for me."

A tear fell onto Mario's wrist, and he quickly hugged her as she began to cry.

"Mama!" a green luma named Seagrass gestured for the others, "Mama has star bits in her eyes!"

"No, sweetheart, I'm fine." Rosalina wiped her tears away, pulling away from Mario, "I just...haven't thought about this in a long time."

"It's alright, Miss." Polari patted her shoulder, "These are painful memories for you, huh?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Hey." Mario stroked her cheek, brushing her bangs to the side of her face, "I've lost people before, so I get it. Deep breaths."

She sucked in a breath of air, letting it out slowly, "I guess...by the time Luma crash landed in my yard, I was almost waiting for an excuse to leave, so five months before I turned seventeen, I fixed up Luma's starship and left. I've hardly looked back since. Unfortunately, my father and my brother...they didn't understand. They perceived it as me abandoning them or giving into my grief. I'm unsure what to do about it now."

"Well, like you said, you have your family right here." Mario took her hands in his own, "The reason Luigi and I get along so well is because we listen to each other, so if they aren't going to bother listening to you, then there isn't really much you can do. If it helps, you know I'm always on your side."

Rosalina laughed as she wiped the rest of her tears away, "Thank you. I'm honestly a little envious of your relationship with your brother. I always wished I could have that again."

"Well, you know how it is. Some people are just stubborn."

They looked at each other for a long moment before leaning closer to each other, but before their lips could touch, the Observatory gave a massive lurch, throwing everyone to the ground as a siren began to blare throughout the ship.

They hurried outside, where the entire kitchen and landing deck had exploded and caught fire. The ground was rapidly approaching as they were blinded by the clouds, the wind whistling in their ears as they attempted to stay on their feet.

"We're under attack!" Polari handed Rosalina her wand, "Everyone hold on!"

Rosalina flew into the air, waving her wand to reinforce the force field that surrounded the ship while the lumas poured their magic into steering the ship as it plummeted to the ground.

**"We're going to crash!"**

Rosalina held Mario in her arms, and he trembled as he wrapped his arms around her back knowing they were seconds away from possible death.

***


	11. Chapter 11

The sound of screeching metal drowned out all other possible sensations as Mario and Rosalina tumbled across the ground. Once they came to a stop, Mario rolled away, falling on his side as the static cleared from his vision.

"Goodness gracious!" Polari spun around in the air as he was overcome with motion sickness, "Mario! Rosalina! Are you alright!?"

Mario sat up, rubbing his spinning head. He gasped as he hurried back to Rosalina's side, "Rosalina!"

"I'm fine." Rosalina combed her bangs back into place as she pushed herself up onto her knees, "You're alright? You're not hurt?"

"No, I'm okay." Mario helped her stand up, falling into her when he stumbled, "Whoa. Sorry."

"No worries." she steadied him, "Is everyone alright!?"

"We're okay, Mama!" one of the yellow lumas said, "But look at the ship!"

Rosalina gasped at the sight of the destroyed pile of rubble, still pouring black smoke out into the grass, "No! The Observatory!"

Tears streamed down her face, and she sobbed into her hands.

"Oh no..." Mario slowly walked over to the scraps that had been torn from the casing. He opened his mouth, but then he closed it, feeling numb.

The Observatory had become like a second home to him. He wanted to comfort Rosalina and the lumas...but he was feeling too lost and hurt to do much more than stare off into nothing.

He cast his gaze up towards the sky. For some reason, even though he swore the sun had just risen, it was now pitch-black, and almost every star was visible. Had they really been orbiting that fast around the Earth?

"Rosalina." he turned to take her hands, gently prying them from her face, "We can fix it."

Her eyes were totally red from crying, _"How?"_

He cringed at how broken her voice sounded, "I know a guy. Let's figure out where we are. Maybe I can find a place with signal."

She nodded, rubbing her eyes, "Okay. Yeah."

Mario sighed, "Rosalina, come here."

She stooped down a little further, and he took her head in his hands to kiss her lips. She relaxed against him, holding his hands on her face as they broke apart.

"It's going to be okay." Mario brushed a hair behind her ear, "Now let's go."

"Right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Mario took her hand to lead her away.

"But wait..." she reached towards the ship, "The lumas..."

"Can look out for themselves for a couple hours." he finished for her, "Besides, Polari is here. They'll be fine."

"Indeed, Miss." Polari saluted towards her, "Go on. We'll be here."

Rosalina floated off to follow Mario, "Alright. I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Bye, Mama!" one of the lumas called, "Bye, Papa!"

Mario pretended he hadn't heard that, quickening his pace and resisting the odd feeling in his stomach when those words had hit his ears.

Once they were well out of earshot, Rosalina slowed him down, "Did you hear that?"

Mario gulped, "I'm sure it was just a slip of the tongue."

"Yes, but my lumas like you a lot."

"I'm sure it was nothing."

"Why are you deflecting it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mario, just talk to me."

He spun on her, "Okay, I don't like it."

She stared blankly as he wheezed, his fists trembling violently at his sides.

"I don't want the lumas to see me like that." Mario mumbled, trying to keep a cool head, "I'm not in this for the long haul. I love being with you, and I'm fine calling you my girlfriend or whatever, but I don't want it to go further than that. I love your lumas, but I can't handle that kind of responsibility. I don't want anyone to call me Papa."

He let the silence hang as he walked away.

Rosalina caught up, floating by his side a few inches above the ground, "If it bothers you, then you should say something."

Mario brushed his bangs off his sweaty forehead, "How can I? I can't even stand up to...to Luigi. How can I say something like that to your lumas?"

"They would understand. You know they would." she took his wrist, "Just like Luigi."

Mario shook his head, taking out his cellphone to track the bars, "You don't know Luigi."

"I know him well enough to know that he would understand."

Mario held his cellphone up, not thinking up a response right away. Once he found a sufficient number of bars, he found the number for Bonneton in his contacts and hit call. It rang a few times before someone answered.

_"You've reached Bonneton of The Cap Kingdom! This is Lucy speaking!"_

Mario beamed, "Lucy!"

_"Mario!? Hey! Hi!"_ her voice somehow tripled in intensity, _"I didn't know you were at home!"_

"Yeah, about that..." Mario cleared his throat nervously, "The Observatory crashed."

_"It crashed!? Are you hurt!?"_

"No, I'm fine, and so is everyone else, but we need someone to get here and help us fix it. Is Cappy there? Does he have the Odyssey?"

_"Oh yeah! Can you tell me where you are?"_

"I'll figure that out." Mario brought the phone away from his ear when he thought he heard something. It shot a chill up his spine.

Rosalina looked around, "Mario?"

"You know what, Lucy? I'll call back later." he hung up, stashing the phone with a huff, "I think I might know where we are, but I need to confirm it. Let's go."

The open fields gave way to a thick forest, and Mario made his way across the grass and underbrush.

Rosalina caught him when he almost tripped, "Do you want me to carry you?"

"No, I'm fine." he stumbled, and she picked him up anyway, "Rosalina, I can handle it."

"I know." she set him down some ways across the path, "But it's okay. I'm happy to help you."

Mario adjusted his hat, "I don't need help."

"Mario, I thought we agreed you wouldn't say that anymore."

"Hush." he crouched in the bushes as the forest broke into another clearing, "Look."

She rolled her eyes, but she did hide beside him to see what he was looking at.

It was a house. It was very small, too small to even count as a cottage, and in the distance, Bowser's castle could be seen over the hill, even bigger and darker than it had ever been. Mario wasn't looking at the castle in the far distance, though. He was looking at the house, and all the color had drained from his face.

Rosalina barely dared to breathe, _"Mario?"_

It broke him from whatever spell had trapped him there, "Hey, let's go. We need to get back to the Observatory, now."

Sensing his urgency, she waved her wand to engulf them both in a white light, which shot off like a bullet before landing in front of the ship. Mario was already redialing, though he had to walk around before he found a signal again.

_"Yes? Is this-!"_

"We aren't safe here. Whoever is listening, tell Cappy and Lucy that I need their help right now south of The Koopa Kingdom. There's a tower of black smoke in the sky. You can't miss it."

_"Mario, it's me. Cappy. I've already started the Odyssey. I'm on my way, okay? Just hang tight."_

"Thank you. Please hurry." Mario hung up, "Rosalina, I think we need...Rosalina?"

It seemed that he'd wandered while talking on the phone, because he was now pretty far from the Observatory, and there wasn't a luma or cosmic mage in sight.

He was about to head back when he heard footsteps sprinting through the grass. Just as he had his fists up and ready to fight, someone stumbled in the darkness and Mario instinctively reached out to catch them.

"Whoa! Thanks! I don't know why I..."

The two locked eyes, and Mario was in disbelief at what he saw staring back at him.

He pulled him to his feet, "Luigi?"

"Mario?" Luigi was in his usual ensemble, but his hat was missing, and his hair stuck out in all directions, "What are you doing here? I thought you were in space with Rosalina."

"I was, but then we drifted back through the atmosphere and the Observatory was shot down and we're not in a great place right now and-!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, the Observatory was _shot down!?"_

"Yes! And I don't know who did it!" Mario looked over his shoulder, "What are _you_ doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?"

"I am, but I must have gotten turned around, because I can't find the path anymore. I thought I heard something chasing me, so I just started running!"

"Luigi, we shouldn't be here!" Mario glanced up, but nothing about the scenery had changed, "Don't you know where we are!?"

Luigi looked at their surroundings, then he shook his head.

"Luigi, you need to go!" Mario gently pushed him, "It's not safe here! Especially for you!"

"But if I go back, I'll just get lost again!"

Mario raked his nails through his hair, trying to figure out some kind of solution but coming up blank.

"Mario?" the light descended upon them, and there was Rosalina, "Oh, there you are. What's Luigi doing here?"

"Uh..." Luigi took Mario's shoulders, "Bro, you good?"

"No, actually. Not really." Mario lowered his voice, "Listen, we can't stay here. We need to get out."

"But why?"

"Because this is where _he_ lives!" Mario practically hissed at him, "The rolling hills south of Bowser, remember!?"

Luigi let his mouth hang open for a bit before he sucked in a breath of air and began to hyperventilate, his face going pale.

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Mario grabbed him in a hug, "Rosalina, Cappy said he's on his way, but Bonneton is pretty far from here. We need to make sure _he_ doesn't find us."

Rosalina engulfed them in the beam of light, and they all shot off back to the Observatory.

When Luigi emerged again, he fell backwards, landing with a gasp, and Mario knelt beside him.

Rosalina hovered closer, "Who is _he?"_

"An ex-friend of ours." Mario explained, "And he is beyond evil. He's psychologically manipulative, brash and violently impulsive, plus he's easily insulted no matter what you say to him. You also wouldn't know any of this if you don't know him well, because he acts really nice most of the time."

Luigi squeezed the neck of his sweater tight in his fists.

"Anyway, I should probably call Peach and figure out where she is." Mario had one hand on Luigi's chest as he dialed, "Ugh! No signal! I'd better get up and-!"

Luigi grabbed his arm hard enough to hurt, his mouth open as if to shout, but his voice wasn't cooperating with him.

Mario sighed, returning to his crouched position on the ground as he held his phone out, "Rosalina, can you call Peach on my phone? Just fly around until you get more bars."

She took it, dialing the number as she flew off. Concerned lumas gathered around Luigi, and their aura soothed him until he had returned to a state of calm.

Once his heart had stopped pounding so hard in his ears, he lifted his head, "Mario, he..."

Mario helped him sit up, "It's okay. You know I'll keep you safe."

"I know, it's just..." Luigi leaned into Mario's side, nestled in the crook of his arm, "I think he shot down the Observatory, and I think he chased me here on purpose."

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know! I thought I was much further away when I was running!" Luigi chewed on the seam of his glove, "What should we do?"

"Okay okay," Mario took his shoulders to look him in the eye, "Listen, Luigi. We're going to figure this out. We're going to stop him."

Luigi was quiet as he leaned back in for more comfort, "Mario...when I was deleted, I heard his voice. He said...he said, 'Don't worry. You may be broken, but I will stop at nothing to fix you.'"

Mario's heart sank, and he closed his eyes as he considered just what that might mean.

"Here." Rosalina handed him his phone, "Peach says she's on her way with the Toad Brigade."

"Okay. Hopefully we can get this sorted soon." Mario ran a thumb over Luigi's forehead, "Hey, it's okay. We can take him on. We can fight him."

"But he can manipulate space and time!"

"So can Rosalina! Hey, we'll figure it out. I promise. We always do."

There was a few moments of tense silence before the sound of the Odyssey filled the air, and Cappy landed it close to the Observatory. Cappy, as well as Lucy and Tiara, emerged from the hat-shaped airship.

"Guys!" Cappy flew around them, "What happened!? This ship is a total mess!"

"What do you think happened, Cappy?" Mario gestured to it, "We were shot out of the sky!"

"Why's Luigi here, then? Isn't he on his honeymoon?"

"He's supposed to be. He said he got lost." Mario cupped a hand around his mouth, _"Remember the old friend I told you about? The one that can manipulate spacetime?"_

Lucy gasped, "Oh no!"

Cappy drooped, "Well, I hate to break it to you, but this ship isn't going anywhere without more power. I can help you with the architectural side, but the damage is too severe to get it running again with just that."

"So we can't leave right away?"

"Well, _you_ can, but unless you know someone who can carry a broken hunk of steel this massive, then it's staying here."

"Arg!" Mario hit his forehead with his fist, "We can't just get more power! Stars and moons around here aren't powerful enough to get the Observatory running!"

"Then what do you suggest I do, Mario?"

"I don't know! But we _can't stay!"_

Luigi grabbed Mario's overall strap, "Mario!"

Mario stilled at the serious glare he was given, but it quickly softened when Luigi had his attention.

"You're doing it again." Luigi let go of him, "What about when you said we could fight him? Was that just a lie to comfort me?"

Mario's voice was stuck for a moment, but he finally croaked out, "I can't let him hurt you again."

"Hey, I know. _I_ certainly don't want to think about what he's trying to do, but Mario, we can do this, like you said." he got up on his knees before taking Mario's hands, "I'll stay with you if it helps. We can look after each other, alright?"

Mario slowly began to nod, "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Mario and Luigi Dream Team, right?"

"Right." Luigi clasped his right hand with Mario's, "Dream Team."

Mario pulled Luigi to his feet, and Polari hovered between them, "Well, you two. I bet you could get the stars we need together."

"Huh? But how?" Mario said, "We need a..."

Polari laughed, "Did you forget who you're talking to?"

He gestured to a luma next to him, who transformed into a launch star.

Luma bounced between Mario and Luigi while Cappy and Lucy each took the form of Mario and Luigi's red and green caps. Luigi pulled Lucy over his brow, relieved to have a hat on his head again.

"Please be careful." Rosalina put a hand on Mario's cheek to lift his gaze towards her, "There isn't much I can do for you when you're so far away."

"Don't worry, Ros." Mario squeezed her hand, "We know what to do. Luigi and I make a great team."

Rosalina stared at him blankly, then a warm smile broke out over her face, "Did you just give me a nickname?"

Mario thought back to what he said, then he flinched back, "Oh, I didn't mean...is that okay?"

She gently pushed him, "Of course it's okay. I'll see you later?"

"Sure." Mario adjusted Cappy on his head before stepping into the launch star, "Ready, Luigi?"

"You bet!" Luigi took his hand as he climbed in after. Squeezed into the star together, there was just enough room for them to stand shoulder-to-shoulder.

Drawing on Luma's power, they spun in a circle, and the launch star shot them into the sky.

***


	12. Chapter 12

Mario and Luigi flew through empty space in a corkscrew shape, twirling around each other as if in a choreographed dance. The wind rushing by was loud in their ears, so nobody spoke, but nobody needed to. As distant planets grew closer, their spiraling ceased, and they prepared for landing.

They bent their knees to catch the brunt of their fall, Mario catching Luigi when he stumbled.

"Whoa!" Luigi straightened Lucy over his bangs, "Thanks!"

"No problem, bro." Mario took in their surroundings. They were in a field of white flowers ending in a sheer drop off, with a pool of water that went down too far to see the bottom.

"Whoa." Luigi ran his fingers over the surface of the water, "It's freezing in here. It doesn't look like there's another path, either."

"I can handle it." Mario adjusted his sleeves over his wrists.

"No, it's okay." Luigi froze the surface of the water over, "I can get us down easy."

The ice dipped, spilling water over the grass, and a tunnel formed all the way to the bottom of the chasm.

"Cool! I can feel the star!" Luigi looked back at Mario, his eyes glowing bright blue, "Take my hand. I'm pretty cold, so don't be alarmed."

"I can live with that." Mario took his hand and immediately got goosebumps from Luigi's ice core cranked up to full blast.

"Okay! Hold on tight!"

Luigi spun over the ice before an air bubble formed around them and dipped beneath the surface, sinking into the water as the light from above slowly faded. Mario held Luigi's arm to keep his balance as he shivered, his fire core shrinking back from the cold water and ice around them. He may not be in the water, but that didn't mean it was warm.

"You doing okay, bro?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Mario huddled closer to Luigi, despite the fact that he felt like the cold version of a space heater, "It's pretty dark, though."

"Yeah. I can hardly see anything down here." Luigi sent out blue orbs of light, but they didn't reach very far, "Let's get a little closer."

He moved the bubble through the water until he found the wall, reaching out in the opposite direction for the star. He struggled to reach out more, then the light suddenly blew out and Luigi started panting.

"Hey, that's enough." Mario reached for him in the darkness, grasping his shoulder, "I can handle the light."

Luigi took another huge gulp of air, "You sure? Your fire is harder to use underwater..."

"I know, but you need a break." Mario gathered fire in his free hand, "Besides, you've never been good at light."

"Heh." Luigi focused on keeping up the bubble, "That's true. Thanks, bro."

Giving him a nod, Mario threw the fire outward until it spread throughout the underwater cavern. There was a doorway through the brick wall, and Luigi took a deep breath before he stepped out of the bubble into the water to get a closer look. Once he'd assessed the doorway, he returned, gasping once inside.

"Okay, I don't think I can keep up a bubble through the doorway." he frowned, twisting his hands together, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Mario reached into the water, finding that it wasn't quite as shockingly cold as he was expecting, "Okay. Here I go."

He hyperventilated until his lungs were saturated with oxygen, then he took one more massive breath of air before diving in, and Luigi was quick to follow suit. There was a single pale blue light far off into the distance, and as Mario approached it, Luigi grabbed his arm to yank him back, enveloping them in another bubble and filling it with air.

Mario gasped before he spoke, "Luigi...?"

"I don't trust that." Luigi rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, "That's where the star is. We're deep underwater, and there's a small light in the depths. What does that tell you?"

"Oh." Mario let his mouth hang open before running a hand over his forehead, "I should have thought about that more, huh?"

"That's why you brought me along." Luigi flexed his bicep in a mock display of strength, making Mario laugh, "Seriously though, that thing is giving me the creeps. As soon as we get close, we're done for!"

"Not necessarily." Cappy flew off Mario's head, "Did you forget who you're with? There are other things in here. I bet you could capture any one of them!"

"Really?" Mario turned to his brother as Cappy returned to his perch, "Luigi, what else is in here?"

Luigi's eyes glowed brighter, "There are some smaller fish all around this cavern. They can probably see in the dark, judging by the way they're swimming."

"Perfect." Lucy swivelled on Luigi's head, "You'll lose the bubble as soon as you capture it, so Mario should go first."

"You heard her, bro." Luigi gestured to the water in the dim light, "There's a fish coming closer to us. I can lead you to it if you want."

"No need. I can use light." Mario threw a beam of light into the water, catching sight of the black fish with a light blue underbelly. He threw Cappy onto the fish's head, and the scene suddenly brightened.

The cavern they were in was covered in crystals, aside from the floor, which was nothing but sand. Looking up at the light in the center of the room, Mario's breath caught in his throat. An ugly angler fish opened its sharp-toothed maw, letting out a roar as a Luigi fish swam to his side.

"Yikes! Look out!"

Luigi left the fish just as the angler's jaws closed around it, and just like that, Luigi was fumbling in the dark.

Mario shoved him, and Luigi struggled to keep the breath he was holding as he held onto the fish's fin while Mario swam away. He clamped his mouth shut with his free hand until the angler fish slammed into the wall and the water drained from the cavern, revealing that the small doorway they'd entered from was shut tight.

Luigi fell onto his side as Mario emerged from the fish, "Get up, Luigi! _Get up!"_

"I'm up I'm up!" Luigi coughed as he scrambled to his feet, "Mario, the ground isn't stable! If we aren't careful-!"

The angler fish slammed into the ground, and the rock beneath the sand cracked, giving way as it crumbled into the darkness, and everyone fell into the abyss. Luigi fell into the water first, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood in order to prevent an involuntary gasp before his head broke the surface and he took a breath of precious oxygen.

Mario spun under the water to quickly get back to the surface, "Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine!" Luigi coughed again, his throat sore, "Let's go, bro! Get us more light!"

Mario filled the water with light before taking a huge breath and diving under. Luigi stayed on the surface a bit longer, probably to soothe his aching lungs, but in the meantime, Mario scoped out the world beneath the water. The surface of the water was in a bottleneck, the chasm widening out near the bottom like the lower half of an hourglass. There were bricks stacked in walls along the floor, which the anglerfish was breaking through in a rage. Mario was running out of air, so he swam back up, where Luigi was still struggling for breath.

Mario took a few deep breaths, "Luigi, is something wrong?"

"I can't..." Luigi coughed, "I'm really sh-sh-shaken right now..."

"Right. That poor fish." Mario pulled him closer to the wall, "You can go back to the Observatory any time. Luma would be happy to send us back."

"N-no." Luigi shook himself, still treading water, "We've already come this far. I can do this."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well, okay. I believe you." Mario took his hand, "We dive on three. Ready?"

"Hold on, bro, I need..."

Luigi's lungs wheezed, and Mario pushed him onto his back to float so he wasn't expending a bunch of oxygen on keeping his head above the water.

"M-M-Mario..."

"I'm right here." Mario kept one hand under Luigi's back, "I know you don't like floating, but you need to catch your breath. I'm not going anywhere."

"R-right. S-sorry."

"Don't be. Just breathe."

So he did, the anglerfish still raging below them. Mario got the impression that it wanted to attack them, but it couldn't seem to find them anymore, just blindly following each of Mario's lights and putting them out before moving on to the next one.

"Okay." Luigi sprung upright, his breaths coming much easier, "I'm ready."

"Okay. Count of three..." Mario held up three fingers, putting each one down as he counted, "One...two... _three!"_

They both took another huge breath before plunging down below, and Mario relit each light that the anglerfish had extinguished. Gathering more magic, Luigi spun to quickly reach the depths, grabbing an air bubble as he sharply turned up. He threw a spike into the anglerfish to shove it into the wall, and Mario rolled underneath it to kick it upwards, creating a tower of fire that instantly boiled the water surrounding him.

The anglerfish was far from giving up, though. It snapped its jaws at Luigi, who yelped, allowing bubbles to escape from his mouth. Mario tackled it from above, hanging from its outstretched light to distract it while Luigi escaped to grab an air bubble. The anglerfish turned sharply, throwing Mario into the rock wall hard enough to make him cry out, and static filled his vision as he struggled to hold on, his lungs burning as they tried so hard to take in the oxygen they desperately needed-!

He felt a presence in the back of his head, and when he blinked, he was suddenly looking through very different eyes.

"Mario! Focus!" Cappy's voice came through, though it was muffled, "You can win, but only if you pay attention!"

The light came out to dangle in front of Mario's face, and in a second he realized what his friend had done. He locked eyes with Luigi, who covered his mouth in shock before swimming to the surface.

"I can't hold it forever!" Cappy shifted on the anglerfish's head, "Do something! Quick!"

So Mario used the monster's fuzzy eyesight to look around, finding a place where Luigi's magic had stuck to the wall in sharp-looking icicles. He reeled back, and with all the fish's strength, threw himself into the wall.

The anglerfish screamed as Mario was booted out. The crack in the wall began to drain the water, and Luigi touched down once the surface hit the ground, gasping for breath. The monster gave one last cry before it disappeared, leaving a grand star in its wake. The glow from it illuminated the entire cavern in its power and brilliance.

"Whoa. That was intense." Luigi took Lucy off to wipe his forehead, and she floated beside him, "Bro?"

Mario floated on the surface as it drained, coming to rest on the wet sand on his back. He didn't move.

"Bro!?" Luigi bolted to his side, falling to his knees and taking a pulse at the wrist. It was weak and fluttery. He wasn't breathing, his fire core flickering feebly in his chest.

Steeling his nerves, Luigi grimaced as he rolled his sleeves up and placed both hands on Mario's chest, pounding on it firmly and rhythmically. Cappy and Lucy watched on, unable to tear their eyes away as Luigi kept at this for a full minute, unable to cease the chest compressions for fear of losing his pace. He resisted the urge to go faster as his hands began to shake, sweat dripping from his brow, desperately watching Mario's face for any signs of life, but he didn't dare stop. He just kept on pounding.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mario coughed, and he scrambled to his knees as water poured from his mouth and nose. He took a few gulps of air, soothing his sore throat with the precious oxygen he needed.

"God, bro! Don't scare me like that!" Luigi took his shoulder to push him back, running two fingers over his chest as he searched with his magic, "You breathing okay? Your lungs aren't soaked?"

_"I...I think so. I think I'm fine."_ Mario's voice came out hoarse, and he coughed a few more times into his sleeve, _"Ugh. That really hurts."_

"Sorry, bro, but you know I'd rather you broke a rib than died." Luigi placed his palm to Mario's sternum, soothing the aches with his powers, "Yeah, I might have given you a bruise or two."

_"Or four."_

"Or seven." Luigi drew his ice away, rolling his sleeves back down before standing up and squeezing water from his hair, "Now let's grab this star and get outta here."

Mario leaned on Luigi to aid him in standing up, and Luigi held his hand all the way to the star. As soon as they touched it, they floated into the air, and their pain was soothed as the star shot off into the distance, taking them back up through the cavern and into the warm sunlight.

***


	13. Chapter 13

Mario and Luigi gently landed beside the Observatory, which was now covered in scaffolding as hundreds of toads with blowtorches and wrenches put each piece back into place with the help of the many thousands of lumas that floated up and down along the ship. The grand star flew into the comet in the center of the ship, brightening its glow and causing floating platforms to return to the air.

"Luigi!"

Luigi nearly fell over when someone barreled into him, wrapping their arms around him and kissing him multiple times all over his face, "Peach! Love!" he laughed as he kissed her back, "I'm so happy to see you again!"

By the time they broke away, his head was covered in lipstick marks. Mario laughed.

"Whoops. Sorry about that." Peach hurried back to Captain Toad's shroomship, returning with a box of makeup wipes.

Luigi blushed, rubbing the back of his neck as Peach rubbed out the kisses her lipstick had left behind.

Mario elbowed him, "It's a good look for you."

"Oh, be quiet." Luigi's eye squinted shut as Peach removed a kiss mark on his brow, "I'm sure I look like a mess right now."

"But a very cute mess." Peach winked at him, "Still very handsome."

Luigi's blush darkened, "Peach!"

"What? I'm just stating facts." she finished cleaning him up, finding a trash can to toss the wipe into.

Luigi saw how much pink was on it before it was out of sight, "How did your lipstick transfer so badly?"

"No idea. Maybe my primer wore off." she pulled another wipe to take her makeup off, starting with her eyes and ending with her lips, "Here. That should help."

"I'm glad I got to see that." Mario said.

Luigi shoved him, "Okay, bro! We get it!"

Mario laughed until Rosalina came around the corner, and he caught the glimmer in Luigi's eye, "Oh no, you are not going to-!"

Luigi shoved him hard into Rosalina, making him stumble and fall into her arms.

"Oh!" she pulled him upright, obviously shocked, "Are you alright?"

"Yikes! Sorry bro!" Luigi drawled, "I don't know what came over me!"

Mario scowled at him. Luigi knew full well what he was doing.

Well, fine. If he was going to play that game, then Mario was happy to play along.

Mario brushed down the front of his overalls before putting an arm around Rosalina to face her towards the Observatory, "It already looks better, huh? We'll be out of here in no time!"

"Indeed. I had no idea the toads could work so fast."

"They've always had a strong work ethic." Mario explained, "Especially the Toad Brigade. You give them a job, and they'll do it well."

"I can tell." Rosalina looked up in time to see Toadette weld a support beam in place, lifting the front of her welding helmet to squint at her work, "Toadette has been ordering them around from the moment they touched down."

"She's a little harsh sometimes, but she's just trying to give them a sense of direction. Captain Toad is the same way." Mario reached for her hand, his grip on her moving to her waist, "Trust me. They'll get our home up and running in no time."

She smiled at him, floating lower to the ground so she was a bit closer to him, "Our home?"

"Ah, did I say that?" Mario feigned shyness, "Well, it is kind of my home too. My home away from home."

He could practically _feel_ Luigi's gaze boring holes into him. It was palpable in the air how hard he was being scrutinized, but he paid it no mind.

"Or...maybe I'm only saying that because..." he reached up to touch her cheek, "...it's where you are...?"

Rosalina blinked as tears gathered in her eyes, "Oh...you're messing with my heart now..."

Mario retracted his hand, afraid he'd crossed a line, "Is that bad?"

"No, not at all." Rosalina waved her hand over him, and he began to float with her.

It surprised him at first, and he reached out to grab her shoulders for balance, but even though he didn't know how to steer himself in the air, he still felt safe. He trusted her. As he came back down to match her height, his arms encircled her neck, and she held him around his waist.

He smiled, overcome with excitement and awe as he gave a breathless laugh, "I didn't know you could do that."

"There are many things I can do that you've never seen before." she replied, "I could have probably defeated Bowser myself if I didn't have so many little lives depending on me."

"Right. Your lumas first. I know." Mario brushed her bangs back from her face, "Why do you wear your bangs over one eye like that?"

"Well..." she looked away from him, touching his hand on her face, "My mother used to wear her hair like this, and I've always been kind of shy. I thought it looked and felt nice like this."

"It makes you look kind of ethereal." Mario rested his forehead on hers, "Like you have a mysterious side. You look a little more cute when they're back like this."

"You think I'm cute?"

"I mean, yeah. You've got great cheekbones and full lips."

Without another word, Rosalina kissed his lips, and his hands combed through her hair as he held her head, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Mario cracked one eye open to sneak a glance at Luigi, whose jaw had dropped. Peach was laughing beside him so hard that she was simply wheezing, her face flushed red as tears streamed down her face.

Mario separated from Rosalina, and she sighed as he let her bangs fall back in front of her face.

"You know I love you, right?" Mario ran his fingers through her hair on the opposite side to her bangs, "You know I can't fall in love, but I still care so much about you. Don't forget that, okay?"

"Yes, I know. Thank you." Rosalina placed a soft kiss to Mario's forehead, making him smile wide, "I love you too. Call me if you need anything."

She set him on the ground once again before flying off, and Luigi's mouth finally snapped shut as he grit his teeth in frustration.

"Urg! Why is it so easy for you to keep your cool like that!?"

He shrugged, "My heart thinks that Rosalina is just a friend. It's not my fault I don't get flustered easily."

Luigi pouted, crossing his arms, "Yeesh. Is there _anything_ I can do to embarrass you?"

"Well, not the way you want to." Mario pat his shoulder, "Hey, if my teasing bothers you, you can tell me to stop, and I will."

"No, it's fine. Let's just rest up before we go after the next star." Luigi stretched his arms in the air as he yawned, walking off to find a place to rest.

"Hey, Mario." Peach gave him a hug, "I'm happy to see you too."

"I missed you, Peach." he squeezed her torso gently before letting her go, "How's the honeymoon been going?"

"Good. Luigi has been so excited to see all these new places, he's filled four SD cards taking pictures on his phone. He's such a sweetheart."

"Oh yeah. Knowing him, he's probably on cloud nine. I can just imagine him glued to your side because he can't handle not being affectionate."

"Oh trust me, he will take any excuse to hug me or hold my hand. It's really sweet." Peach clasped her hands in front of her chest, "Ah! I can't believe how lucky I am!"

"You guys are perfect for each other." Mario massaged his wrist, "Well, I'm exhausted. You go be with your husband, alright?"

Peach nodded, hiking up her skirt to run over the rough terrain.

"Mario?" Cappy floated in front of him, "You okay?"

"Huh?" he looked between Cappy, Lucy, and Tiara.

"I just wanted to make sure, since...you know..." Cappy scratched his brim, "You just went through something pretty bad."

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Mario sighed, "I can't rest yet, though. I need to check on something."

"Let us come with you, then." Lucy turned into his red cap before taking her place on his head, "Is this about the ex-friend?"

Mario shushed her, looking over his shoulder to see if Luigi had heard, "Yeah. Follow me."

Running through the grass until the glow from the lumas had faded into the distance, Mario approached the house, peering through the window with Cappy and Tiara on either side of him. The inside of the house was just as twisted as he remembered, with walls inside walls and furniture resting comfortably on the walls and ceiling. He felt a rock in his stomach as a thin figure emerged from the doorway into the room, and he sat at the table that happened to be on the floor, his black dress shoes clacking on the black and white tile.

Mario was sure he knew he was there, but he didn't budge. He just kept on watching, waiting for something to happen. The figure at the table didn't look up.

"I know you're listening, Mario." his smooth voice came from inside, reverberating through Mario's skull like a distant echo, "My little game has started. Whether you play along or not, it does not matter to me. You know I love Luigi more than that pink disaster ever will."

Mario's stomach turned as he continued to listen, the world swaying as he struggled to remain upright. The edges of his field of view blackened, and he got tunnel vision as the man's voice seemed to get louder and louder.

"You are truly cruel depriving someone of their one true love." his voice surrounded them on all sides, "Don't you understand? Luigi is wonderful. You know that better than anyone. I want to give him everything. I want to hold him and tell him how perfect he is. I want to take each individual piece of his shattered heart and put them back together. I will do whatever it takes to put a smile on his face. He will _always_ be loved."

Mario shivered, taking a step back from the window.

He tripped, falling backwards into an endless void. He fell faster and faster, his throat too closed up to breathe. When he managed to orient himself in the darkness, he caught sight of two sharp electric-green eyes, set above a long, narrow nose.

His toothy smile made Mario's teeth chatter in ice-cold terror.

"You know I'm right."

Mario's eyes opened. He was lying in the grass, facing the sky, with the three concerned hats hovering over him.

"Mario?" Tiara nudged him, "You okay? You blacked out there for a second."

Mario hoisted himself up on the windowsill. The house was empty. There was no furniture except the table and chairs on the floor, and the figure was nowhere to be seen.

Mario gulped loudly, turning back and sprinting to the Observatory. His fire core roared hot as he jumped over the underbrush, the hats following close behind.

_"Please please please please please..."_ Mario skidded around the corner, seeing Luigi fast asleep with his head in Peach's lap, and he breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Mario?" Peach ran her fingers through Luigi's hair, "What's wrong?"

Mario knelt down beside them, stroking Luigi's forehead, "He's okay? Are you okay?"

"We're fine." Peach pulled him to her side, "Did something happen?"

Mario huddled into her side, "No, nothing. Sorry."

"It's okay."

Mario blanked out for a moment, and he realized just how tired he was. Falling into the crook of Peach's arm, he passed out, and dreamed of his beloved brother trapped in an endless cycle of abuse.

***


	14. Chapter 14

Mario woke up in a soft cocoon of blankets. The room was dark aside from the glow of the lumas. He recognized the room as the bedroom as he turned his head to find Rosalina laying beside the burrito wrap she'd encased him in, her eyes focused on the book she was reading.

When she noticed him watching her, she bookmarked the page, "Hello there, sleepyhead."

He smiled, "Hey." he sat up, stretching as he emerged from the blanket cocoon, "What are you reading?"

"Just a science fiction story. I'm rather fond of those." she set the book aside, "Luigi's already up. He's out discussing plans with the others."

"Oh, that's cool, but..." Mario picked up one of the blankets to throw over Rosalina's head, wrapping it around her back to pull her closer, "Let's just pretend I'm still asleep, yeah?"

She stared at him for a moment before a smile broke out across her face and she rearranged the blanket cocoon so they were both huddled up in it. Mario buried his face in her neck, inhaling the scent of fireworks that always clung to her as his hand rested on her upper arm, pinching the satin fabric of her dress in his loose grip.

Rosalina ran a hand over his back, "I'm surprised you're choosing me over Luigi."

Mario mumbled sleepily, _"Luigi can wait a few minutes."_

She tugged the blankets further over them, "I'm sure he would."

It wasn't five minutes later when Mario heard the sound of a camera shutter go off, and he gazed up at the smug face of his brother, phone in hand.

He rolled his eyes, "Are you ever gonna let this go?"

"Not as long as I live." Luigi put the phone back in his pocket, "You getting up or what?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming." Mario pushed himself up off the bed and his sleeping partner, yawning into the back of his hand.

As he dropped to the floor, Luigi's amused smile fell, "How's your lungs? You still breathing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mario waved to Rosalina before she picked up her book again, "And you?"

"I've been better." Luigi shrugged, "Hey, uh...you haven't noticed anything weird related to the ex-friend, have you?"

Mario felt his fire flare as his fingertips became tingly and ice cold, not wanting to lie, but also wary about telling the truth, "Well...I'm not sure. Why?"

Luigi tugged on the neck of his sweater, "Because I had a dream about him while I was sleeping."

The sun had risen by now, and it was high in the sky. The toads were still hard at work, though many of them were fast asleep. Toadette herself was nodding off, but she forced herself to at least keep directing toads and lumas until Captain Toad forced her to sit down and she was out like a light. Luigi stopped in the field, scratching his head nervously.

"He was there." Luigi took a steadying breath, "I was in a field of flowers, like this one, but it was sunset, and there were so many colors." he paused, trying to find the words, "He pinned a flower to my shirt, and he looked at me so...sincerely. He was warm. He took my hands, and..."

A tear fell from his face onto the ground, and Mario took his hands in both of his.

"Nothing bad happened." Luigi wiped his eyes, "I think he probably gave me that dream. It was so reminiscent of how he would treat me...before...and..."

"Luigi..." Mario wrapped an arm around him, "I'm sorry he hurt you so badly. We'll destroy him together, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

In the resulting silence, Cappy cleared his throat, "Um...not to pry or anything, but what's this guy's name?"

Luigi hid his eyes behind his hand, his arms folded.

"We don't say his name." Mario explained, "We don't want him to hear in case he's listening. And besides, his name doesn't really matter. We want to forget him, so we will."

Cappy nodded, "Alright. Fair enough."

"Thanks." Luigi adjusted the straps on his overalls, "I should've known he wouldn't stay away forever. I think I know what he's trying to do, now."

"Do you?" Lucy flew around him, "Well, spill!"

Luigi shivered, "No. Not here." he took Mario's hand, "Let's get to the next galaxy, and then I'll talk."

"Alright." Cappy took his place on Mario's head, "You coming, Tiara?"

"Nah, I'd rather stay." Tiara waved them off, "Have fun, though!"

"Bye, Tiara!" Lucy hugged her before taking Luigi's head, and the four of them with Luma's help climbed into the next launch star and shot into the sky.

***

When they landed, they immediately sunk into soft sand. Mario yanked his arms out of the sand to push himself out. He brushed it off his legs before looking around for where Luigi had landed. Luigi's head was spinning as his face flushed red.

"Oh. Yikes." Mario hooked his arms underneath his brother's to pull him out, "Too hot?"

"You bet." Luigi flapped the front of his sweater back and forth, "Uuuugghh this was a mistake..."

"Hang in there, Weegee." Mario led him forward, "Let's see where we are."

They were in a desert, with a palm tree and waterfall nearby. The waterfall came down from a rocky cliff and gathered in a lake near the bottom. The hot sunlight beat down on them in a haze, and Mario squinted against the light.

Lucy blinked against the glare off the waterfall, "Mario, why do you call him 'Weegee'?"

"It's my old nickname for him." he walked into the shade of the palm tree, "When Luigi and I were kids, I couldn't properly say 'Luigi'. There are too many sounds in it that are difficult for a toddler to pronounce, so every time I tried, I just called him 'Weegee' instead. It stuck, and now it's like a childhood nickname."

"And I die a little inside every time Toadette calls me that." Luigi rolled his eyes, "Seriously. I love her, but she is the most annoying person I know."

"That's what best friends are for, right?"

"Totally."

Mario knelt down, touching the ground with one hand to spread fire across it, searching for any leaps in power that stars tend to cause. Luckily, the surge was beneath the sand, but it was pretty far down, and it was encased in something hard and metallic, probably a monster. As he stood back up, Luigi huddled closer to him, and Mario slowly reached up to take his arm.

"Luigi?" he locked eyes with him, "What is the ex-friend trying to do?"

Luigi sighed, his head falling so his gaze could hit the floor, "You see...he's unpredictable, but he doesn't do things for no reason. Trust me, I spent a regrettable amount of time with him, so I would know. He needed to wait for the marriage so there could be a dramatic twist in line with his tarot cards, and he took Peach with him because she has a path that aligns with his vague predictions of the future. What he's trying to do is give himself the best possible chance of...I guess what he wants."

Mario gestured to him, "Which is...?"

"I don't know, a good life? A good laugh? I'm not sure on that one, but when he messes with spacetime, it's usually because he saw something through his magic that he wants, and he needs to be careful getting it, or it won't come to be." Luigi tapped his foot, pushing Lucy off his brow to wipe the sweat away, "What I don't understand is why he needed Cosmic to crash the wedding, and why Cosmic decided to fix it in the end."

"I couldn't tell you. Cosmic is even more elusive than ex-friend."

"By a long shot. I couldn't understand Cosmic's motives if I tried."

"You think he just likes messing with us?"

"Possibly."

"That would make sense, actually." Mario leaned back on the palm tree, "Maybe he likes messing with the ex-friend, too. That would-!"

He fell backwards, just barely managing to stay on his feet. He turned towards the tree, reaching for it with one arm. His hand passed right through it. It wavered, like ripples in a pond, until he retracted his arm and the image sharpened once again.

The tree was fake.

Luigi's knees shook, "Oh no. Is this illusion magic? Are we in a mirage?"

Mario kicked sand into the water, and it also wavered as sand hit sand, no splashing or flying water drops to be seen or heard.

Mario looked back at him, "Yep. Mirage."

"How much?" Luigi clung to his arm, "Do you think the ground is all real?"

"I think so." Mario threw his fire into the illusion of the lake, and it burned through it immediately, destroying the illusion and leaving nothing but sand behind, "Yeah. The ground is real."

Luigi looked over his shoulder from behind him, "C-can you keep burning the ground? Just in case?"

"Yeah, of course."

So with steady steps forward, Mario set fire to a bunch of the sand ahead, creating shards of glass that reflected the sunlight like crystals as Luigi followed close behind.

Mario threw another fireball to the side, and a huge ball of metal flew up out of the ground. It unrolled like an armadillo, and a hundred metal legs dug into the sand as its jaws snapped in the air. It looked like an armored centipede, but much bigger, and definitely more violent.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Luigi rose a shield around them just as one of the legs slammed into them, and a massive crack spread across the ice as Luigi's eyes flared with light and he doubled over in shock and pain.

"Luigi!" Mario shoved through the centipede with his fire, throwing more glass into the air as the sand around them vaporized, "Luigi, are you okay!?"

"Yeah, but holding that shield up took everything I had!" Luigi held his chest as he sucked in a breath of air, "I need to recharge!"

"I can give you time! Just back off!"

He did, and Mario threw another wall of fire at the centipede. It dug into the sand, throwing it up like ocean waves and jostling the landscape until Mario slipped and fell below, his mouth full of sand.

"Mario!" Cappy tried to dig him out, "Oh no! How deep is he!?"

Luigi weakly prepared his ice, but Lucy pushed on his head, "Luigi, you don't have the magic to spare!"

"But what if he dies!?"

Just then, the ground rumbled and began to heat up. Cappy jumped out of the way just in time to dodge a massive lava spire that shot into the air like an erupting volcano. Luigi bolted for the place they had landed, knowing that if the fire reached him, he would not survive.

Once he was a reasonable distance away, he leaned forward on his knees as he gasped for breath, "Okay. I'm sitting this one out."

Mario climbed out of the glass prison he'd encased himself in, sliding on a surface of liquid sand as he faced the centipede, its many legs getting stuck in the hardening glass before it broke out, throwing shards over the battlefield. Mario leapt at its jaws, blowing them off with an explosion, then he used the propulsion from that to fly into the air and stomp hard on its head. With one last fireball to its metal shell, the centipede curled up in pain, disappearing in a puff of smoke before the star appeared, glimmering brilliantly even in the light of the noonday sun.

He still appeared to be seething, so Luigi walked over to him, seeing the fire engulfing him from head to toe as his eyes glowed with a bright white light.

He reached out tentatively, "Bro?"

The fire dispersed, "Oh, Luigi. Sorry about that. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Luigi took his shoulder, "You're covered in glass!"

Mario looked down at himself. His shirt and overalls sparkled with tiny flecks of the cooled molten sand, "Whoa. It's like glass glitter."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Luigi tenderly brushed off Mario's arm.

"No. It's not treated glass like you'd find in a window pane." Mario brushed the flecks of glitter from his overalls, "It's more like tiny glass beads. Probably still be careful, though."

Luigi touched the grand star, and the two of them shot off with it.

When they were about to land, Luigi took his arm to pull him a bit closer, "Hey bro, what was that about? Are you okay?"

Mario ignored him, throwing the grand star into the Comet Observatory and watching its glow brighten.

He only answered when they'd hit the ground, "Yeah, I just...I knew you'd be defenseless until you had a chance to recharge, and I couldn't stand the thought that I could do nothing to help you."

"Right. Yeah." Luigi wandered away, his hands in his pockets as if he was just casually dipping out and not awkwardly trying to avoid some inner feeling of dread.

"Uhh..." Cappy watched him go, "Is he okay?"

"He's fine." Mario ran a hand through his hair, "I think he forgets sometimes that my powers explode much easier than his, so all it takes is one moment of true terror for me to reach the end of my abilities. If Luigi wanted to create destruction of that magnitude, it wouldn't be like a switch was flipped. He would need to lower the temperature gradually until everything froze over."

"Yeesh. No wonder you startled him." Lucy watched the corner that Luigi had disappeared behind, "You know you could have easily hit him by accident, right?"

Mario tugged on a fistful of his hair, "Of course I knew that, but when you're afraid of losing everything, you don't really think about what you could accidentally do."

He blinked, spilling tears from his eyes. He was crying? When had he started crying?

He didn't bother to try stopping it. He just let the tears fall as he shook with silent sobs. How could his heart suddenly hurt so much?

"Mario..." Lucy bumped into his head, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't've said anything."

_"No, it's not you, I just..."_ he rubbed his eyes, _"I'm still not over it. Even after all this time, I can't stop seeing those dead eyes staring back at me. I can't forget it."_

He collapsed to his knees, hiding his face in his hands as his gloves became saturated with tears. It had been a long time since he'd used his powers to their maximum capacity, and going through that in such a short span of time seemed to reopen that old wound. It brought his heartache back to the surface. The heartache of losing his other half, his twin brother, and his lashing out at Bowser in anguish. It hurt so much he couldn't breathe. His head swam with dizziness, his lungs filled with oxygen, and yet he still felt as though he was running out of air.

"Mario."

Luigi took his hands away from his face, wiping a tear away with his thumb. He gave Mario's hand a squeeze, taking a huge deep breath and waiting for Mario to mimic the action.

"I'm here." he said softly, "And I'm not leaving."

Mario threw his arms around him, and he cried for a long time.

***


	15. Chapter 15

"So...this ex-friend..." Cappy tossed a luma into a ring of other lumas, "What is he going to try now that Luigi and Peach are married?"

The Observatory was getting closer and closer to being fixed, to the point that it was upright again. Peach and Rosalina spoke to each other while they surveyed the progress, various toads and lumas taking turns between working and resting. Mario and Luigi watched the stars above as they lounged atop the library.

"Honestly, he's probably already done it." Mario gestured to the quarter or so of the ship that was still broken, "I'm sure he did this for a specific reason."

"And he led me here, too." Luigi hugged his knees close to his body, "That's why I was so disoriented when you told me where we are. I was in the Desert Kingdom when I started running! I know I couldn't have run all the way from there to here, especially in such a short span of time."

"So he must have bent spacetime to make you run much farther than you thought you did." Mario shook his head, "This is getting more complicated."

"It's not." Luigi kicked out his legs before crossing them, holding his ankles in front of him, "I'd argue that this is making more sense as time goes on."

He almost mumbled that last part. Mario wrapped an arm around him, "Luigi?"

"Sorry, I just..." he sighed heavily, "I feel so stupid. It's so obvious in hindsight. He made me believe that nobody but him could ever love me. I thought my crush on Peach was pointless because she was so perfect and I was..."

"I know, Luigi. I know." Mario squeezed his shoulders tight, "It's always obvious when you take a step back and look at the bigger picture. You're not stupid, though. Anyone could have fallen for that. It's a testament to how good he is at manipulation, not your intelligence."

"It doesn't feel like that."

"Yeah, tell that to the wife you're supposed to be on a honeymoon with. It would be pretty embarrassing for her to back out now, wouldn't you say?"

Luigi laughed through the dark cloud over his head, "Oh, I dunno...are you _sure_ she likes me?"

"She'd better!" Mario called out, "Hey, Peach! D'you like Luigi!?"

Peach looked up at him, then at the ring on her finger, "I sure hope so, or this would be a tad awkward!"

Rosalina floated over to them, sitting beside Mario on the edge of the library roof, "What are you two talking about?"

"It's a long story." Luigi replied, "Anyway, are you ready to get the next star?"

Mario sighed, "I'm not sure. My core is kind of weak right now."

Luigi hid a mischievous smile before standing up to whisper in Rosalina's ear, and she watched him sit back down as he gave her a thumbs up. After which, she lifted Mario and set him in her lap, wrapping her arms around his chest from behind.

A steady blush spread across his face, "Ros, what are you...?"

He trailed off, leaning back into her as she nuzzled into his cheek. Her core was cosmic, which was similar enough to fire that he could feel his own core resonating with it. He couldn't believe how comfortable he was. He slumped over as she transferred her magic to him, the soft and warm feeling washing over him as he allowed his eyes to slip closed.

Luigi took the opportunity to elbow him, delivering his final blow, "There really is something about intimacy, eh bro?"

Jackpot.

"Wh-what?" Mario's blush deepened, "Luigi, what are...are you trying to...?"

"Aha! I knew I could embarrass you!" Luigi threw his fist into the air, "Victory is mine!"

Mario scratched his cheek, trying to avoid eye contact, "Alright, you got me. I don't even care. I'm very comfortable like this."

Luigi cried out when Peach lifted him into her lap, "Isn't it wonderful having a partner that's shorter than you?"

"Peach!" Luigi's face turned beet red, "Hey! That's not fair!"

"Ha ha!" Mario pointed at him, "Looks like I've discovered your weakness!"

Luigi's flush worsened, though he couldn't help but smile, "Shut up! You're one to talk!"

"Oh really? How so?"

"'Cause your magic is reacting to your closeness!"

"What?" Mario touched his face, which was hot enough to cook a steak, "Yikes!"

Luigi laughed, doubling over as Peach held him up to stop him from falling, and she rolled her eyes.

"At least you don't freeze everything when you're flustered. One time I surprised Luigi with a kiss, and my whole tongue went numb."

Luigi covered his face as the temperature dropped around him, _"Peach!"_

"That is positively adorable." Rosalina rested her chin on Mario's shoulder, "Are you feeling better now, Mario?"

He held her head as he turned to kiss her cheek, "Much. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The four of them stayed there a little longer until the sun rose over the horizon, and Mario took Luigi's hand before dropping them to the first floor.

"Progress is going swimmingly!" Toadette ran up to Luigi for a high five, "If we keep going like this, the ship will be fully repaired by tomorrow!"

"Fantastic!" Mario pulled his wallet from his front pocket, "What do I owe you?"

"Huh? Oh, you don't have to pay us!" Toadette waved her arm dismissively, "You and Luigi have already paid for most of our projects, and we didn't have to pay for the cost of materials. Plus, you guys tip like crazy! Consider this one on the house!"

"Are you sure?" Mario lowered the wallet, "Your time is worth something, too."

"Let's just say that's the cost of friendship." Toadette winked, "Trust me, we know what we're doing. Just don't go advertising this to potential clients, yeah?"

"Sure. No problem." Mario stashed the wallet, "Thanks, Toadette!"

"No problem!"

Captain Toad shoved her away, "You've been awake for twenty three hours! Go to sleep!"

"Fine fine, I'm going! Yeesh!"

As Luigi flagged down Polari for the next launch star, he became downcast, and Mario shivered in the cold before noticing his distress.

"Mario..." he turned to him, "He can make illusions..."

Mario sighed, "You don't think he made those mirages?"

"No, not that, but it did get me thinking about it."

The launch star appeared, wobbling as if to beckon them closer. Mario put a hand on Luigi's shoulder, but he didn't look at him.

Mario took Luigi's hand, pulling him closer, and yet he seemed to do everything to avert his gaze, "Luigi, I feel like there's something you're not telling me."

He didn't reply.

"You keep talking about memories you have with this old friend that I never knew about." he continued, "When did you have the time to make those memories? Did you see him behind my back because you knew I didn't like him?"

"Bro, please." Luigi pushed him away, grabbing Lucy from out of the air to jam on his head, "Let's just...get to the next galaxy, alright?"

It frustrated him when Luigi closed himself off like that, but he respected his wishes nonetheless, "Okay. We're going."

It didn't help that they needed to huddle close together into the launch star, as Luigi was still finding anything else to look at, but they managed, and before they knew it, they were on their way.

***

As soon as they landed, they were in complete darkness. They could see the galaxy just fine up until that point, but as soon as they touched down it was like a blanket was thrown over their heads.

"Oh great." Mario reached into the darkness, "Cappy, Lucy, do you see anything?"

"No." Lucy's voice came from somewhere to his left, "Why? Is there a problem? Luigi is frozen!"

"Yeah." Mario found Luigi's wrist, finding it to literally be frozen solid, "Luigi is afraid of ghosts."

"What makes you think there are ghosts?" Cappy shifted, "Just because it's dark?"

"Yeah. Ghosts thrive in darkness, especially in deep space." Mario shook Luigi's arm, "Luigi, you're turning into a statue! Snap out of it!"

The ice dispersed, and Luigi let out a strained, "Ah!" as he began to tremble, but he didn't speak.

"Hey, we can still fight." Mario lit a fireball in his hand, but the black fog was too thick for the light to reach very far, "Luigi, listen. We can still fight back against ghosts without the Poltergust. Luigi, look at me!"

Luigi finally met his eye. His broken expression said everything.

Mario sighed, "Do you want to go back?"

Luigi shivered in fear, scooting closer to him and looking all through the darkness for possible attackers. A few distant high-pitched laughs could be heard, and it made Luigi's teeth chatter. They sounded like boos.

Luigi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, steeled his expression, and shook his head.

"Okay. Let's go, then." Mario threw the light out farther, "You're so brave, Luigi. Come on."

As they trekked through the fog, one thing became very apparent; The room was shifting. When they were in the air, they saw a few rooms with no ceiling, all with black and white tile flooring, but when Mario reached out with his fire, it was clear that walls were moving. Doors were opening while others closed and locked. Ceilings passed over their heads and then continued on. Luigi's eyes shone as he whipped his head around, following Mario's fireballs until they fizzled out in the fog.

"Hey, Luigi. You need to breathe." Mario tugged on his arm, causing him to stumble, "Hey, pay attention. Do you see me? Take a deep breath, put one foot in front of the other. You're going to be okay."

Luigi shook his head, "Right. Sorry. I'm just so on-edge. Ghosts have ice magic too, so I feel like it's messing with me."

"Just don't lose your focus." Mario dragged him forward, "I know it's disorienting feeling sources of ice magic everywhere, but you need to hold onto it. If you don't, they might try to steal yours."

"Right. Got it."

Mario found an unlit torch on the other side of the room, shaped like a park birdbath, and made entirely of stone. He threw a fireball into it, and the flame turned blue as the torch lit, illuminating the rest of the room and chasing the laughs away.

"Is Luigi not used to fighting other ice mages?" Lucy asked.

"He doesn't do it often." Mario shrugged before taking Luigi's hand and heading off to the one door that stayed open, "Ice magic is rare except among ghosts, whereas fire magic is fairly common. I think the only reason he has ice powers is because he has a twin with fire powers."

"Huh." Cappy watched the ceiling settle overhead, "I see."

The two brothers stepped through the doorway, and the door shut behind them, making them jump.

Luigi steadied his racing heart before he stepped forward, "Okay. Let me handle this."

"You sure, bro? You're not great at making light..."

"I'll be fine." Luigi lifted his arms, "I can feel all the ghosts in here. Let's see if I can weed them out..."

He stomped on the ground, and the floor froze over, an icy haze pushing back against the darkness. Spikes emerged from the ice, shooting up into the ceiling and causing a dozen boos to fly out into the open. Luigi lifted both hands over his head, then threw them down, causing all the ice in the room to collapse to the floor, including the ice cores of the many boos. While they were stunned, he concentrated a clear lens in his hands and focused the minimal light they had through it until it created a focused laser beam that vaporized the boos on the spot.

"Whew." Luigi rubbed the goosebumps out of his arms, "If only I could do that indefinitely."

"Don't push yourself." Mario lit the next torch, skating on the ice Luigi had left behind, "Is the star nearby?"

Luigi didn't answer.

"Luigi?" Maro skid to a halt, "Luigi, you need to keep up."

"Sorry!" Luigi skated to his side, "The star is a few rooms ahead. Er, the next...the rooms keep changing..."

"We get it." Mario urged him forward, "Hey, maybe the next room will just be one big room that has the..."

The door slammed behind them, and the torches along the walls lit up. The walls had stopped shifting. The room was huge, all covered in the same black and white tile, and in the middle of the room, floating just above the floor, was a single lanky figure with slicked-back silver hair, a black suit with a black tie and fuchsia button up shirt. He had an oval-shaped face, with a stubble beard, half-circle green eyes, and a long, narrow nose.

He smiled, revealing shockingly straight white teeth, "Hey."

Luigi had already turned a pale, ghostly white by the time Mario threw up a shield between them.

"Oh shoot." Cappy trembled on Mario's head, "Oh no oh no oh no oh no!"

Mario scowled at him, the name crossing his lips before he could think about the consequences of enabling the figure in his delusions;

"Aurion."

Aurion clasped his gloved hands in front of his mouth, "It's nice to see you both again. You look great, by the way. The definition of aging gracefully."

Mario's fists smoked as they heated up with his anger. It always put him on edge. _Always._ Aurion wasn't saying this sarcastically or in a condescending way. His face and voice reflected nothing but sincerity as his smile was soft, his eyebrows turned up, his body relaxed and casual.

"I missed you." he dropped to the floor, stuffing both hands in his pockets, "You especially, Luigi. I remember we used to lay outside and watch the stars, talking for hours into the night."

"Shut up! You know nothing!" Mario hit his palm with his fist, "It was all an act! You only pretended to be nice until you could hurt him!"

Aurion sighed, "I know you've never liked me, Mario, but that's a little harsh, don't you think? I do care a lot for him, for both of you, in fact. You just didn't take to me as much."

"You psychologically abused him!" Mario knew his arguing would be futile, but he still felt he had to vent somehow, "You made him bend to your will and put him in impossible no-win situations! You made him paranoid about pleasing you because you would go off on him for the smallest offenses and then you would turn around and say that I was the problem! Or Peach! Or whoever was on your radar for blame! Stop making excuses and leave us alone before I snap your neck!"

Aurion simply shrugged when Mario was finished ranting, completely winded and gasping for breath.

"Do you remember what my favorite color is?"

Mario narrowed his eyes, knowing full well the answer to that question but choosing to answer wrong to try and invoke his wrath. Hopefully it would prove a point.

"Black."

"No." Aurion sat cross-legged on the floor, touching the tile in front of him as it lit up in a bright color, "It's fuchsia."

Luigi put a hand on Mario's shoulder, and Mario looked back at his wistful gaze, "Don't fall for it, Luigi. Please. He's playing mind games."

Luigi didn't seem to have heard him, just gazing ahead, unfocused, like he was dissociating.

"Fuchsia is a fascinating color." he rested his elbows on his knees, "It's not even a real color. It's fake. The cones in our eyes can only see red, blue, and green light, and this color is a mix of the colors on the opposite sides of the color spectrum. Red is close to infrared light, and purple is close to ultraviolet light. Fuchsia is a color that exists entirely in our heads."

Luigi took a step closer, but Mario blocked him with his arm, "Stop. Luigi, don't listen to him. I know he seems sincere, I know you love deeply and you believe in second chances, but you need to stay out of this. Please."

Luigi's gaze darted over to him for a second, but he still made no move to back off.

"The first time I saw you do magic, Luigi..." Aurion looked up at him, "You were like the color fuchsia. Bold and bright, a mix of opposing sides, existing against all odds and being loved for everything you are. You don't need to change for anyone, because you're perfect."

"Luigi, I'm trying to talk some sense into you!" Mario pushed him back, "Even when he's acting nice, he will drain you of everything you have and give nothing in return! Remember how jealous he would get when you would hang out with Peach? Remember how he exploded at you for 'abandoning him' when you were stuck at home throwing up!?"

The mention of Peach and the stomach bug made him finally snap back to reality, and he took staggering steps backwards as he gathered his ice in his fists.

Aurion floated back up into the air, lounging against some invisible wall, "Don't bother. You can have the star. Trust me. The last thing I want to do is fight you."

He disappeared, leaving the glimmering star in his wake.

Mario took Luigi's hand, and he reached out with his other hand to take it.

They were quiet as they flew back home.

***


	16. Chapter 16

As soon as Mario touched down, he grabbed the front of Luigi's sweater in a tight fist, "Why didn't you tell me you kept seeing him!?"

Luigi, equally angry, shoved back against him, "It wasn't like that! I felt bad for him, I just wanted to be his friend!"

"Oh don't give me that! You knew he was abusive, and you still kept going back without telling me!?"

"You wouldn't have let me!"

"Because he was hurting you!"

"I had to go behind your back! You needed to know where I was at all times!"

"You did the same for me! I guarantee if I was in your shoes, you'd do the same!"

As they argued back and forth, Peach, Rosalina, Toadette, Captain Toad, and various other observers gathered around them, wondering what the commotion was and what had sparked this argument. Cappy and Lucy joined Tiara in the crowd, feeling too uncomfortably close to eavesdropping.

"Why are you getting mad at me!? You're the one who hovers over me like a third-person camera!"

"I'm just afraid of what else you've hidden from me!"

"Nothing! Nothing that you need to know! Am I not entitled to my privacy!?"

"Seeing someone abusive does not fall under personal privacy!"

"I didn't know he was abusive! Didn't you say that it wasn't my fault!?"

"Well maybe you should have figured it out eventually! Why did I need to be the one to point it out to you!?"

It took him a full two seconds to realize he had said something very _very_ wrong. Luigi recoiled in shock, a hand on his chest, before his eyebrows pushed down on his eyelids and he began to cry.

Mario was at a loss for words for a moment, "Luigi, I didn't mean that. I didn't mean-!"

Luigi turned and ran.

"Luigi!"

Mario reached out after him, but he was already disappearing into the distance. His footsteps in the grass faded overtime, and once he was gone, Mario let his arm fall.

He finally seemed to notice the other people watching him, and all at once, the shock made his core flicker until it was just a spark. His whole body was frozen in ice-cold horror.

"Why did I say that to him." Mario's voice was flat, emotionless, "I told him he should have known. I made him cry."

His heart gave a hearty pang at the declaration, his palms sweating and the back of his neck prickling.

He made Luigi cry.

Peach gingerly touched his shoulder, "Mario?"

Mario didn't reply. Didn't respond. He just kept staring into the horizon until the afterimage burned into his retinas made him blind to the actual sight of it.

Peach turned to Rosalina for help, and she floated in front of him, making his gaze snap up to her face.

"Mario." she lifted his chin, "Let it be."

Mario forced his mouth to move, his lungs barely allowing him to whisper, _"I made him cry."_

"I know, but what's done is done." she brushed his bangs away from his face, "You have time to apologize, and you can make it up to him. Don't lose your mind in your regret."

"But I made Luigi cry." Mario forced a shaky breath into his lungs, "I never make Luigi cry. I don't do that. I don't hurt him. I don't use his trusting nature to make a point. I don't cut him where it hurts. I'm his brother, I should know better."

"And you do, but you made a mistake." she took his cheek in her hand, "It happens. You said something you didn't mean, and it hurt him. There isn't much you can do now that you've said it, but Luigi will forgive. You know he will."

"I know he will." Mario let his head bow, "But he shouldn't. I don't deserve to be forgiven after that. He's just going to trust me again, and it'll hurt worse if I ever hurt him again."

"Perhaps. You may hurt him again." Rosalina took his hand and gave it a squeeze, "But when you do, you apologize again. You make it up to him again. I doubt something quite like this will ever happen again, but just in case, you know what to do."

_"There is_ nothing _you can do to make me hate you. Okay? I promise."_

_"Well maybe you should have figured it out eventually! Why did I need to be the one to point it out to you!?"_

That was the worst part. Luigi would always forgive him.

No matter what.

"Um...Mario...?"

Mario looked at Toadette, who was nervously wringing her hands together.

"Uh..." she tugged on her braids, "The ship is finished..."

Mario hadn't noticed that the grand star they'd just gotten back with had been enough to revive the Observatory, and it was now fully repaired and ready for takeoff.

Mario hurried over to it, "Let's go."

"Wait, right now?" Rosalina grabbed his arm, "Don't you want to see your brother first?"

"I don't even want to think about him right now." Mario replied, "And I'm sure he doesn't want to see me either. I'll come back later, but i just can't do this right now."

She had a bad feeling about it, but after sharing a glance with Polari, Rosalina waved her wand, "Alright. Luna, Pluto, Asteroid, Little, can you go find Luigi and make sure he's okay?"

"Yes, Mama!"

The four lumas glowed as they flew off, and the ship prepared for takeoff.

"Mario, wait!" Peach grabbed his wrist as he was about to jump, "You know Luigi would be heartbroken to learn you just decided to leave! Can't you stay long enough to apologize, at least!?"

Mario ripped his arm from her grasp, and she stumbled.

"Peach." he didn't face her, "I can't."

He jumped onto the Observatory, and he ran to the bedroom as the ship took off.

Just as they were about to exit the atmosphere, Mario caught a white streak in his vision, and the ship gave a massive lurch before he was swallowed by darkness.

***

Mario's head was pounding as he opened his eyes to a twisted void of walls. He leapt to his feet, fell back down in complete dizziness, and then stood up again more slowly.

"Mario!? What are you doing here!?"

Mario looked up at the familiar, gravelly voice, "Bowser!? What are _you_ doing here!?"

"I asked you first, plumber!" Bowser huffed, spilling smoke from his nose, "I've been in this weird place for what feels like hours! Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Mario looked up to see Luigi standing on an invisible platform some way away, his mind spiraling as he searched what he knew for an answer.

_"He's unpredictable, but he doesn't do things for no reason."_

_"He needed to wait for the marriage so there could be a dramatic twist in line with his tarot cards."_

_"When he messes with spacetime, it's usually because he saw something through his magic that he wants, and he needs to be careful getting it, or it won't come to be."_

A rock lodged itself in Mario's throat.

He swallowed hard, "He needed to create a new dramatic twist since he couldn't crash the wedding anymore. When the ship crashed and got fixed only to crash again when me and Luigi..."

He felt sick. In leaving so hastily, in allowing his emotions to control him, he had done exactly what Aurion wanted him to do.

"Luigi..." Mario called up to him, "Luigi! Luigi, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

Luigi didn't hear him. He just kept looking and wandering a story up and growing more fearful overtime.

"Do you really think you have control over this?"

Mario jumped at the sudden voice behind him, slamming into Bowser, who pushed him to the side and lifted his claws.

"Don't bother. I'm not here for you." Aurion had Peach's arm in his grip, who was pale as a sheet, "In fact, in setting this whole thing up, I realized that not only is Luigi married to the wrong person, but this little _princess_ has another waiting for her, too."

He let go, and Peach knelt by Mario's side, "Are you alright!? Mario, it's horrible! Aurion-!"

Aurion let a few scraps of paper float to the ground. It was Peach and Luigi's marriage certificate.

As soon as Mario recognized it, he set the floor on fire, "You monster! What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"I'm only doing the right thing." Aurion walked through an invisible barrier, climbing up to where Luigi was, "Really, Mario. Stop being so close-minded."

Luigi's attention snapped to him, "A-Aurion!? What is this!? Where's my family!?"

"Don't worry. I've got you now." Aurion stood a little taller than him, stroking Luigi's cheek, "You're safe, and so are they."

"I don't believe you!" Luigi was shaking, but he put on a brave face, "You think I trust you after everything you did!? Mario's right, you're a jerk!"

A spark of hope lit up in Mario's heart as he pressed his nose to the invisible barrier.

"Luigi..." Aurion looked away in shame, "What did I do to upset you?"

"Are you kidding me!?" Luigi threw his hands in the air, "You yelled at me! You told me that Peach could never love me! You hate it when I can't be stapled into your side twenty four seven! I can't live like that!"

"Oh, Luigi, it wasn't like that." Aurion still spoke so gently, so reassuringly, "It wasn't as bad as you're making it seem in your head. I was just trying to make sure you wouldn't suddenly drop me. I didn't mean to impose."

Mario's heart sank as Luigi relaxed, "No! He's lying! Trust yourself, Luigi! You were there!"

"And besides..." Aurion continued, "I meant that Peach isn't good enough for you, not the other way around."

Luigi seemed unsure as he took a step back, "N-no...but I..."

This was bad. Aurion for once had decided to take his time, and Luigi's walls were slowly and steadily breaking down. Mario fought against the barrier, punching and kicking, throwing unthinkable magnitudes of fire at it, but nothing changed. It didn't budge.

"It's no use, plumber." Bowser grabbed his arm and roughly yanked him back, "We're in his world, now."

"Bowser, you have to help me!" Mario fell to his knees, both hands clasped in front of him, "If we don't do something right now he'll be taken away from me! Please!"

Bowser was a little taken aback by that, but he tried to retain some semblance of gruffness, "And if I don't help you? What are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing!" Mario cried, "I won't do anything to you, but I need your help! I need to get him back! I need to apologize, for everything! You understand, don't you!? What if it was Junior up there!? You know I'd give an arm and a leg to save him!"

Bowser glaced from him to Peach, who was silently pleading with him as well. It was practically a dream come true for Bowser. The bride he wanted without the other groom to trip him up. Surely, he had more to gain by simply doing nothing.

But instead Bowser said, "Of course I'll help you. Nobody deserves this, least of all Luigi."

"Thank you." Mario stood up, sharing a tired smile with Peach, "What should we do?"

"Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do from here." Bowser opened a portal beside him, "But this place has rules. We just need to get them to work in our favor. Follow me."

Bowser entered the portal, and the other two went in after him.

They emerged in a twisted room way above where Luigi and Aurion were. The walls here were intact, except for one, which looked out over the invisible room below. Luigi was backing away, his mouth moving but with no sound, and Aurion was in the middle of a story about whatever crime he was actually not guilty of.

"This room has some weird physics." Bowser knelt with his shoulder towards them, "Climb up. I'll take you down."

"Okay." Mario grabbed onto Bowser's shell spikes to hoist himself up, "I trust you, I guess."

"Not the smartest thing you've ever done." Bowser extended his hand to aid Peach in climbing up, "But if I know anything about you, it's that you care about your brother."

"Extremely."

"Alright." Bowser leaned over the floor, seeing the twisting platforms below and planning on how he could get around them, "Hold on tight!"

Mario and Peach held onto each of his horns as he jumped, landing on the first platform and sliding down it to reach the next one. The force of his stomp broke it in half, and he regained his footing as the half he stood on floated away.

Luigi looked up at the crashing, but Aurion tilted his head back down to look at him.

When they were about three quarters of the way down, Peach leapt from Bowser, wrapping her skirt tightly around her body to fall faster until she was close to the ground, where she spread it again to catch her fall. Luigi was frozen on the spot. Aurion still held his head, but Luigi's eyes were looking at her.

"Has he even apologized yet?" Peach headed over to them, "He just keeps making excuses for himself! That's not the proper way to apologize!"

Bowser landed on the ground, and Mario jumped from his back to run to Luigi, "He's lying, Luigi! He's trying to make you question your own memories! Your own sanity! He's the one who's in the wrong, not you!"

Luigi frowned at him, and that's when Aurion finally let him go, "And what about you, Mario? You told me it was obvious. You basically told me I was stupid!"

"I know, and I'm sorry." Mario felt tears in his eyes, "I know sorry doesn't cut it, but I was just so frustrated that Aurion is so good at hurting you, and I was mad at him for taking advantage of your good heart. That is no excuse, though. I was wrong to say that to you, and I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you for seeing him behind my back. It wasn't your fault. You were the victim, not the perpetrator."

Luigi's gaze softened, "But...but Aurion said..."

"Luigi, I love you." Peach reached out to him, "I promise that what Aurion says is a lie, whatever it is. What's his track record?"

"Yeah, take me out of the equation for a moment." Mario said, "Aurion was always the one who wanted you to choose between him and everyone else. Peach would never force you to choose between her and all your friends. She trusts you. Aurion doesn't."

Mario caught a glimmer in Aurion's eye. The first sign of his cracking façade.

Luigi's hands became tight fists. The temperature dropped exponentially until everyone else was shivering. Icy fractals spread over the floor and then the invisible walls, spiking out in huge, long icicles that shone with sharpness.

"You...you..." Luigi's anger reached a crescendo, "You MONSTER!"

He lashed out at Aurion, who leapt back, not sliding on the ice though it was slick and smooth.

"YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN! I CAN'T BELIEVE I ALMOST FELL FOR IT! YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN TO STOP!" Luigi's whole body glowed with an icy white aura, giving him the appearance of a marble statue, "WELL, NEVER AGAIN! I WILL NEVER LISTEN TO ANOTHER WORD YOU SAY! COME AND FIGHT ME IF YOU WANT MY FRIENDSHIP SO BAD!"

Luigi's ice cracked as Aurion shifted the room, "You truly don't understand, do you? I've changed. I'm not as bad as I used to be."

"Even if that were true," Peach stood in front of Luigi, preparing her own pink healing magic, "Luigi is not obligated to forgive you! At the end of the day, you trapped him in a cycle of blame and guilt for no reason!"

"But I love him." the room spun faster, twisting and warping, "I love him more than you ever will. How dare you try to keep us apart."

"I want him to be happy!" Peach's eyes glowed brilliantly beside Luigi, "And he was never happy when he was with you!"

"That's not true." Aurion gazed sadly at Luigi, "Right? You _were_ happy, at least for a time..."

"SHUT UP! IT WAS ALL TEMPORARY! I'VE FEARED YOU FOR YEARS, AND I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY YOU DID IT! WHY IT WAS POSSIBLE TO HATE SOMEONE SO MUCH AS I WAITED FOR IMPROVEMENT THAT WOULD NEVER COME!"

"This is bad." Bowser murmured, "If they fight here, it could cause a rift in spacetime!"

"Well, what are you waiting for!?" Mario gestured to the swirls of blue, pink, and black magic, "Stop them!"

"I don't know how! I might just make it worse!"

As Mario wracked his brain for anything he could do, he felt a hat fall atop his head, "Whoa, what's going on here? Sorry we're late, but how did-!"

Mario didn't think. He ran to Aurion, and threw Cappy onto his head.

"Oh my god!" Cappy rolled his eyes, "Okay, Mario, brace yourself!"

Mario disappeared into Aurion's head, and when he emerged, he was overwhelmed by the intensity of power that assaulted his senses. He opened his eyes, seeing Luigi and Peach staring at him slack-jawed.

"Well." Mario's Italian accent carried even through Aurion's voice, "That was unexpected, eh?"

"Mario!" Luigi adjusted Lucy once she flew onto his head, "Cappy! And Lucy!"

Tiara took the form of Peach's crown on her head, "Well, what are you waiting for!? Cappy can't hold him forever!"

Mario steeled himself, "Right." he waved an arm, and the cosmic magic began to undo, the void growing less and less stifling overtime until they emerged in Aurion's house, with its single room and furniture on the walls and ceiling.

"Ah! I can't hold him much longer!" Cappy trembled, "Quick! Do something!"

Mario's gaze fell on Bowser, "Okay, get ready to roast this guy alive!"

"Got it!"

As soon as Cappy lost his grip on him, Aurion leapt into the air, his façade finally cracking in half;

_"Fine! If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!"_

***


	17. Chapter 17

Aurion's house had long since dissolved, and they began the fight on the field, where the scar from the crashed Observatory was. The grass had been torn up around the scar, creating the perfect shape for an arena. Aurion threw his tie and suit jacket off, tightening his gloves around his wrists as black fog lifted all around him.

"Okay, Luigi." Mario stood back-to-back with him, "I'm not going anywhere. No matter what happens, I'm always on your side."

"I know." Luigi rose his ice in time with Mario's fire, "Thanks, Mario."

Aurion bared his teeth as he lunged forward, gliding across the air like he was skating on ice, and Luigi froze the ground in front of him to skate out of the way. Mario threw up spires of fire between where Luigi was until Luigi stood on a shield made of ice to surf across it. Once the shield was nearly melted, Luigi jumped over Aurion's head, dodging his attack and clipping his shoulder in the process, drawing blood. It shocked him enough that Mario's fire engulfed him until it was all abruptly snuffed out and Aurion shoved them back through the void.

"You will not defeat me!" Aurion dropped through the void as Mario and Luigi floated overhead, "I am in control here!"

"Then we'll just have to take you down a notch!" Luigi took Lucy's brim in his hand, "Huh, Lucy?"

"You bet!"

Mario took Luigi's arm, spinning him around as fast as he could before letting go, and Luigi sailed down after Aurion. He tried to fight back of course, he threw debris and warped the room to try and keep Luigi a good distance away, but Luigi fought through all of it until he was close enough to toss Lucy. Once he had captured him, it was just a matter of reversing the warping until they were back in the field, and Mario got a good laugh out of Aurion with Luigi's moustache and brilliant blue eyes.

Eventually though, Luigi was booted out, and the cycle reset.

Fed up with being captured, Aurion eventually stopped throwing them back into the void, though that wasn't much of a hindrance, and as night bled into early morning, Luigi and Mario realized that they were growing tired.

They didn't fight alone, of course, Bowser was there too, and Peach wasn't new to fights either, but Aurion seemed to perfectly maintain his sporadic energy while the rest felt as though their life force was being sucked away little by little.

"Aw, you're not going to make it this easy, are you?" Aurion jumped back to allow the four of them to catch their breath, "I would have thought that the famous Mario Brothers and their little band of fighters would have more stamina than this."

"Shut up." Luigi gasped between pants, "You...you will not...defeat me...this time!"

"Are you sure? Because you seem to be having a little problem with standing upright."

"You're cheating!" Mario held Luigi up when he swayed, "You're bending spacetime to make us more tired than we should be!"

"Whoopsie."

"Mario, we're going to lose." Luigi glanced over to where Peach was stretched thin filling the battlefield with pink light, "No matter how we fight, we're at a huge disadvantage!"

Mario didn't know what to do. Just holding Luigi upright was taking all his strength. Even now as he tried to prepare more fire, he could feel Luigi shaking in fear. He had never seen Aurion without his mask of fake kindness, and it was obvious even to the casual observer that Luigi's mind was racing trying to figure out why he had never figured it out.

"Luigi, focus." Mario squeezed his shoulder, "You can do this. We'll figure it out."

"But how?"

Mario caught a glimmer in the darkness beyond the rising sun, and the brightness of his smile rivalled that of the galaxy itself.

He pointed as the Observatory came into view, "That's how!"

As soon as it docked, the four of them lifted into the air, and Rosalina landed in the dirt in front of them.

"Rosalina!" Mario lunged for her, wrapping his arms around her neck from behind and pressing his cheek into hers, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

Rosalina laughed as she reached up to cradle his face, "I hope I'm here on time."

Aurion glared at her, "You have no business here, Cosmic Princess. Leave now."

**"No."** Rosalina pushed Mario behind her as her eyes glowed brightly, **"And for the record, I am no princess. Where I'm from, all rulers are queens."**

"Yeah!" Luigi cheered, "You tell him, queen!"

"Fine!" Aurion swiped at her, "Come at me!"

She caught his arm out of the air, twisting it so he faceplanted into the dirt, **"With pleasure."**

He tried to slap her, but she dodged him as a force field surrounded the scar in the Earth, with the lumas on the outside and everyone else on the inside. She swung her wand to attack, sending white-hot flashes of magic that burned his skin and tore his fuchsia shirt. He didn't just sit there and take it, though. He sent out punches in close quarters and black flashes of void magic when she was farther away. As Mario watched them fight from the ground, he realized that Rosalina was still holding back. She couldn't fight to her full potential because she was expending magic elsewhere, but where?

He traced the shape of the force field with his eyes. Every once in awhile, Aurion would throw an attack at Luigi or at the lumas, and Rosalina was distracted trying to block it. Mario shared a look with Luigi. They couldn't make a shield themselves because it would be ineffective against spacetime warping abilities, but they needed to do something.

They got an idea at the same time, "Bowser!"

"What?"

"You need to make a barrier to protect us from Aurion!" Mario told him, "Rosalina is distracted trying to protect us and her lumas! If you create a shield for her, she can focus better!"

Bowser looked up at the wavering bubble that separated Aurion from the lumas, "Fine. Get behind me."

They did, and Bowser rose a black force field that encased Rosalina and Aurion, leaving everyone else outside.

Aurion tried to attack through it, but it held firm.

Rosalina made eye contact with Mario, fear in her gaze as it flicked up to Bowser and then her lumas.

"We've got a handle on it!" Mario called up to her, "If you don't trust Bowser, then trust me! I promise, I won't let the lumas get hurt!"

She stared at him as she gave a slow nod, and her barrier fell.

The fight progressed much faster after this point. Rosalina glowed brighter than the sun as she swung at him, the lumas cheering from the outside as Aurion struggled more and more to stay on top. Pure white and pure black clashed violently behind Bowser's shield until it was too bright to look at, not that it would have mattered if they could see, since based on the influx of magic they could feel, they were moving too fast to see anyway.

Finally, the void dissolved, and Rosalina emerged victorious.

Bowser dropped his shield so they could assess the damage. Aurion lay on his back, covered in sweat and blood as he tried in vain to catch his breath.

"Haha!" Luigi ran to his side to look over him, "In your _face!_ How does it feel to _lose!?"_

Aurion lunged for him, making him yelp and jump away, "Please take me back, Luigi."

"We never dated." Luigi crossed his arms, "And no."

"Please! I can't live without you!"

"Then die."

"You're horrible!"

"To you, yeah. Glad you noticed."

"Yeesh." Mario sidled up to him as Aurion continued pleading with him, "How pathetic. How'd you two even meet anyway?"

"He was in the park on my way home from a contract one day, and he was upset because his girlfriend had just dumped him. I can't imagine why." Luigi massaged his forehead, "God, I'm such an idiot. How did I not see how awful he was? Was I that desperate to see some semblance of good in him?"

"Maybe you were." Mario took his hands, "Luigi, you have a good heart. You believe in people. It's a good thing to see the silver lining, but you need to be careful with who you trust. I really am so _so_ sorry that I yelled at you and insulted you. I should have directed my anger towards Aurion from the start. You didn't deserve any of this. Don't blame yourself, okay?"

"Thanks, Mario." Luigi gave him a crushing hug, "I forgive you."

Mario choked, returning the hug tightly, "I don't want you to forgive me. What I did was unacceptable."

"But you literally never do that to me." Luigi replied, "I know you weren't trying to hurt me. It was an accident. You've already made it up to me, and you said you were sorry, so I forgive you."

Mario squeezed him as his tears returned full-force, "Thank you, Luigi. You know that means everything to me."

There was still so much that needed to be done, but in the meantime, the two brothers knew they would always have each other.

And at the end of the day, that was all that mattered.

***

Aurion was escorted to the Observatory so they could fly him to the next kingdom over, discussing what they should do with him now that he was neutralized. They decided to just cuff him with bracelets that blocked magic use courtesy of Rosalina and drop him in a random location with only the locals as his guide. The cuffs were even bound with a blood seal, so only Rosalina could undo them, and chances are, she never would until the magic expired naturally in about seven years. Hopefully he had learned his lesson, and Luigi knew never to trust him again, so if he ever came back, they'd be prepared, and he'd be weakened by seven years of stunted power.

Luigi and Peach finished their honeymoon two weeks later. They couldn't believe how much time had simply flown by when they were together. They met Mario at the castle as the Observatory landed, and Luigi barreled into him.

"Mario!"

"Luigi!" Mario stepped on his feet as he spun on his heels, "I missed you, bro!"

"I missed you too, bro!" Luigi set him down, "Let me look at you! How was your vacation in space!?"

"It was wonderful! We went to an intergalactic garden festival and saw so many incredible flowers! There was also this one beach galaxy with stardust instead of sand, and there was a galaxy where it snowed ice cream and life-sized gingerbread houses were held together with frosting!"

"That sure sounds eventful, bro!"

"What about you!? How was your honeymoon!?"

"It was absolutely perfect! We played so many songs in The Music Kingdom, and we saw indie artists selling incredible paintings in Paris, and we watched the shooting stars from wherever we'd settled down for the night!" Luigi's smile grew soft, "I thought of you whenever I saw them. I wondered if you were up there somewhere."

"I'm sure I was, sometimes." Mario hit his chest with the back of his hand, "We came back several times on our trip just to look at the sunrise. Sometimes we even followed the rotating Earth so we could be in a constant sunrise for hours and hours. It was amazing!"

"That's just like them." Peach shook her head in amusement, "You've just barely landed and they're already talking each other's ears off."

"Well, it's understandable." Rosalina floated beside her, "When you're as close as they are, staying apart for so long can be difficult."

"Yeah. It's pretty wholesome, honestly." Peach pulled one of her suitcases close to her side, "So, how was everything?"

Luigi's phone began to ring, and he rolled his eyes as he took it out and declined the call, "Ex-friend has been blowing up my phone all day. I have a hundred texts and sixteen missed calls."

"Yeesh." Mario looked at the list of declined calls, "Maybe you should get a new number."

"Maybe."

After the four of them were all caught up, Mario turned back to Rosalina, and his smile fell.

"Well..." Rosalina rolled her shoulders, "I guess...this is goodbye...?"

Mario picked at a loose thread on his sleeve.

Rosalina stooped to his height, taking his face in her hands, "You know I'll be back."

He knew, but she was going off into the distant universe. He likely wouldn't see her again until the next star festival, several years into the future at least.

Mario's heart twisted as his stomach tied in knots, "I'll miss you."

Rosalina stroked his cheek, and he leaned into her touch to kiss her palm.

"I'll miss you too." A tear rolled down Rosalina's cheek, "I swear, I'll be back. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Mario squeezed her hand, "Don't leave."

He sounded so heartbroken that Luigi reached out to touch his arm.

"Your lumas first." Mario said, "You need to be there for them, for _all_ of them. I don't belong in space. The Mushroom Kingdom is my home."

Rosalina tried to back away from him, but he snatched her sleeve, overcome with the need to beg her to stay but holding his tongue for fear of coming off as insensitive.

"Mario..." Rosalina turned her head so her bangs blocked her face from view, "We don't...have to be exclusive..."

Mario tugged her closer, "You don't have to say that, Ros. I was happily single for most of my life. I can be faithful to you."

"But you shouldn't-!"

"No, listen to me." Mario cradled her cheek, brushing her bangs back the way he always did, "Being with someone romantically is not necessary for me. I do it with you because it makes me happy. I wouldn't feel this kind of joy with any random person. I have no desire to do this, whatever we have, with someone else. You could be away for the rest of my life, and I would still wait for you. It's not like it would be difficult."

Luigi held his shoulder behind him, "He's right, you know. He always gets annoyed when people set him up on random dates, because he was happy being single, and he couldn't understand why people always thought he was lying when he said that."

"That's right." Mario smiled at her, "You're a wonderful partner, Rosalina. I just...I wish I could at least..." he let go of her slowly, though it took a lot more effort than it probably should have, _"...talk_ to you..."

Luigi got a lightbulb over his head, "Maybe you can." he took his cellphone out just as another call hit it. This time, he answered it with a huff.

_"Take me back, Luigi!"_

"If you call this number again, I'm calling the police!" Luigi hung up and dialed another number, pressing it to his ear as it rang.

_"Why, hello, Luigi."_ came the high-pitched voice of Professor E. Gadd, _"How was your honeymoon?"_

"It was great, but I have a question for you."

_"Go on, then."_

"You know how you've been meaning to test that long-distance communicator that you claim works even over vast distances?"

_"Ooh! Tell me you have the perfect candidate!"_

Mario's jaw dropped as the conversation continued. He knew of course that E. Gadd was always working on _something,_ but this was surprisingly convenient. Luigi nodded along excitedly, giving a few occasional _"uh huh"_ s and _"yeah"_ s until the call ended and he gave a nod.

"All set. Gooigi will be here in five minutes." Luigi's smile fell, "Oh, hey Bowser."

Mario turned just as the koopa king loomed over their small group, "Don't look too excited, Luigi."

Cappy floated around Bowser's head, "Hi! Bowser was just telling us about his super cool plan to-!"

"Shut your trap, you piece of felt headwear!"

Cappy tugged on his brim like he was clamping his mouth shut.

"I came to declare a truce." Bowser crossed his arms, "I'm sick of this game. I can't kidnap Peach, and I'm sure you're sick of saving her all the time. I'm not gonna take her anymore."

"Oh, really?"

Mario tried not to appear too hopeful, but he must have failed, because Bowser snarled, _"Yeesh,_ Jumpman, don't look _too_ disappointed."

"Oh, um..." Tiara was there too, with Lucy not far behind, "While I'm thinking about it, I was actually wondering...why did you decide to help Luigi? Haven't you tried to kill him yourself before?"

Bowser kicked at the grass, sending a few silvery blades into the air, "Because Luigi wasn't being physically threatened; He was being manipulated. I can't stand seeing people go through that."

"Why?"

Mario made eye contact with him, and hoping he wasn't being condescending, he lifted the brim of his hat just slightly off his bangs.

"Because." Bowser sighed, "My wife was abused."

All three hats made a line of mirrored shocked expressions.

Cappy spoke first, lifting one arm into the air, "Did she marry you willingly?"

"What!? Of course she married me willingly! What do you take me for!?"

Peach coughed to disguise a laugh, and she looked away innocently as Bowser glared at her.

"Oh! Wait!" Lucy made a finger-snapping sound with her stubby arm, "She's Junior's mom, isn't she!?"

"Yep. She was pretty incredible." Bowser shook his head, "She had an abusive father, just like me. In fact, she helped me realize why that kind of abuse is, well, abuse. Anyway, I delivered my message, non-threateningly, without my fleet, and now I'm ready to sleep for a million-!"

"What happened to her?"

Bowser turned his glare onto Lucy, who sank through the air until she gently landed on the ground, in full hat form.

Bowser seethed through his teeth, _"She died."_

And then he left without another word.

"Oh." Tiara watched him go, "Oof."

_"Luuiigi!"_

Luigi turned to the warbly, high-pitched voice, "Gooigi! Lemme see that!"

The goo creature handed Luigi a bulky device that resembled a thick laptop. Luigi opened it up and balanced it on one arm to confirm that it was working, "You have the other one?"

Gooigi gleefully held up an identical laptop.

"Well..." Luigi gestured towards Mario and Rosalina, "Let's test this baby out, shall we?"

Mario smiled at him, then he ran in for a hug, _"Thank you, Luigi."_

Luigi held the laptop out while he returned the hug with one arm, "Anytime, bro."

Luigi broke the hug first, handing the laptop over to Rosalina and testing the connection between both communicators. Once he had everything in order, Mario took the device from her and closed it.

"Hey, uh..." Mario set the device down in the grass, "I know this might seem odd coming from me, but it'll be the last time we see each other face-to-face for a long time, so..."

He took her hand, giving her a kiss on her knuckles.

"Would you like to dance with me?"

Rosalina's eyes sparkled as she surrounded him with star magic, lifting both of them into the air and holding hands as they twirled into the sky. Luigi and Peach slowly snaked their arms around each other as they watched, Gooigi pointing after them in awe and the hats laughing as they chattered excitedly over the spectacle.

Mario took Rosalina's waist in one hand as he squeezed her hand in the other. He kicked off the air, using his own magic to step in time to some invisible music only they could hear. In turn, Rosalina held him close to her body, their entwined hands leading them forward until she twisted her grip and sent Mario spinning away from her.

Mario laughed as he twirled back towards her, "Yahoo!"

He held her back, throwing her into a dip. It wouldn't have been easy to do this on the ground considering the height difference, but in the air, Mario could just float wherever he wanted.

Rosalina took his shoulder, "You're getting the hang of this."

His smile fell, "I am?"

She righted herself as she hugged him around his torso, "You're very good at making me feel special. Thank you."

In response, Mario kissed her lips. He let it linger, softly, soaking in the feeling of her skin against his knowing it would be his last kiss for a long time.

When he broke away, his smile returned, and he hugged her, _"You_ feel special because of _me?_ You're the queen of the _universe."_

"Well, yes, but..." she shrugged, "The universe isn't you."

Mario's heart swelled with the very high praise she had just heaped upon him. He wasn't sure what this feeling was, something between pride and surprised shock maybe, but he loved it.

He floated away from her, her hand drifting out of his grip until their fingertips brushed past each other and she prepared to set sail for the stars.

_"Rosalina,"_ he replied, his heart full to bursting;

"You're _my_ universe!"

THE END


End file.
